


Tightrope

by LaCacciatrice



Category: Aquaman (2018), Aquaman (Comics)
Genre: ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN, Angst, F/M, Minor Character Death, Sibling Bonding, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-10-17 23:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17569829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaCacciatrice/pseuds/LaCacciatrice
Summary: Post-Movie: Arthur is struggling with his duties while Orm's loyalists are shy to show their support for their new king. In the meantime, Corum Rath and the Deluge, who want to cut the ties between Atlantis and the surface world forever, see this as an opportunity to attack Atlantis while their royal family are in shambles. Now Arthur doesn't only need to deal with the Deluge but he also needs to find a way to gain his brother's trust and team up with him against the upcoming danger.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Blame [batdaddies](http://batdaddies.tumblr.com/) and [nropay](http://nropay.tumblr.com/) for this fic. They made me write this. Anyway..  
> Warning: English isn't my first language and I am drunk right now so... (I am not even sure I will continue this fic since my writing skills and my English are terrible but meeehh)  
> Also, this is mostly movie based but there will be comics elements.

_“You are a very talented boy, Orm._ _You have great powers. You have the powers of_ _Neron_ _flowing in your veins. You have the power to make thousand kings kneel before you. But it’s your heart that’s weak.”_

Orvax Marius was a bellicist warlord, one of the most successful mariner captains of the Atlantean Naval Fleet. He didn’t earn his medals for simply being better or smarter than his peers. If you asked Atlanna or Vulko, they would tell you Orvax’s most dominant personality trait was hunger. His hunger for power was blinding him from a young age. He climbed the ranks by stepping on other people. Until he reached a place he couldn’t top. The king.

Atlanna hoped this would feed his hunger to a point that Orvax would open his eyes to the world around him, instead of focusing on what he didn’t have. But Atlanna was no fool, she knew Orvax since they were both teenagers and she knew their marriage was just the beginning of their downfall.

Orvax was violent, abusive and ignorant. He didn’t only seek war with other kingdoms but he also dreamed of a war against the surface world. Atlanna knew Orvax’s hatred toward the surface and she didn’t only worry for her oldest son but also, she was worried Orvax’s words were poisoning their only child, the heir of the throne. 

Atlanna knew her dreams of Arthur and Orm ruling side by side as she spent rest of her days with Tom was nothing but mere dreams. But she at least hoped that Orm wouldn’t turn out to be like Orvax. Especially since Orm was a true ancestor of the Atlan blood. He wielded great powers since his childhood and it was enough to excite someone like Orvax. 

Now standing beside Arthur as they wait for Murk’s team to report, she knew she was right. Like every mother, she had big hopes and dreams for her sons. But one of them was in jail and other one was facing public’s distrust, new and heavy duties of a newly crowned king and top of that, there were rumours about a riot. Atlanna didn’t say anything to Arthur directly but they were talking, she and Vulko, behind closed doors and it didn’t look good for Arthur. He might be wielding Atlan’s trident but kingship was more than power. It involved diplomacy, leadership, protocol, politics and his people’s opinions. And people rioting against him would be devastating right now.

Murk entered the room, looking as serious as ever. Atlanna could barely remember Murk, he was still very young when Atlanna was sent to execution. He was only a couple of years older than Orm. But Vulko let her know that Murk was very loyal to Orm as his king. Alanna was worried this loyality would blind him, refusing to accept Arthur as his king but that thought only stayed as a fear of her so far.

“My King.” Murk bowed in front of Arthur’s throne, Atlanna only relaxed a bit by his respectful attitude.  

“Murk.” Arthur acknowledged his presence in the throne room neutrally. Murk wasn’t someone Arthur would trust blindly but they had a mutual understanding in this hard time. But Arthur was neither blind or dumb, he knew Murk was still loyal to Orm.

“I hope you brought us good news, Murk.” Atlanna asked finally, noticing the coldness between Murk and Arthur.

“Unfortunately, my Queen. We didn’t catch any members of the Deluge however we heard from Lady Ziva[1] that they have a message for you.”

“And what is that message?” Murk looked disturbed for a second, he fidgeted uncomfortably as he looked at Queen Atlanna.

“They want to speak to the King.”

“Then let them come.” Arthur said, leaning against the throne. He wasn’t afraid of a couple of terrorists, it would be better if they showed up here and got their asses kicked already. With Atlan’s trident, Arthur was confident he could take them down, especially if they showed up here, in Atlantis.

Murk closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. Atlanna’s chest tightened with fear, whatever Murk was about to say wasn’t going to make anyone happy.

“They meant... They didn’t mean... you, Sire.” Arthur’s muscles tightened uncomfortably. Mera didn’t have a good poker face like Queen Atlanna, her face broke into a worried frown while Vulko closed his eyes frustratedly, well understanding what was coming.

“Then what did they mean?” Arthur asked, he was annoyed at Murk for dragging his feet. “Nereus? They want to talk King Nereus?”

“No, my King.” Murk finally looked up at Arthur, their eyes meeting. “They want to talk to the... Ocean Master.”

A deafening and disturbing silence filled the room for a second. Atlanna looked at Arthur, waiting for her oldest son’s reaction. But unlike before, Arthur didn’t show any anger, there was a slight frown on his face but that was all. This brought a small smile to her face. Arthur was learning and in no time, he would become a very good king. Only if he could have more time to learn and grow...

“I understand.” He said finally, voice was firm yet calm. Murk was shocked by Arthur’s lack of reaction, too. He couldn’t say anything but nod. “You can leave, Murk.”

Arthur slowly raised from his throne, Mera and Atlanna both leaned forward in case they needed to follow him but Arthur simply smiled both of them and told Vulko to follow him. They left two women behind and entered to another room where Arthur told guards to leave them alone so they could talk freely.

“You heard him.” Arthur’s hand tightened into a fist behind him. “You know what they want.” Vulko’s poker face broke into a frown, he watched the young man in front of him with a pained expression.

“The Ocean Master.” Because he wasn’t going to treat Arthur differently just because he was feeling bad for putting him under so much pressure and duty to save their kingdom. It was Arthur’s destiny, he was where he belonged. And he could deal with everything that came at him, he was the one true king, the wielder of King Atlan’s trident.

“I thought you said beating Orm in front of the public eye would be enough.” Arthur forgot about his crown and tried to run a hand through his hair but dropped his hand as soon as his fingers hit the golden crown. It didn’t weigh much on his head but it always caused a heavy pressure on his heart.

“I didn’t say that. I said it was important. But Orm was, despite his wrong doing and mistakes, a beloved king. And Atlanteans aren’t that innocent, Arthur. They followed Orm willingly. You must understand, down here, the life is completely different. And Orm wasn’t that wrong about the suffering of our people. His ways were wrong, not his claims.” Arthur listened his mentor talk about his half-brother who tried to kill him a couple of months ago. It was strange to hear someone say something semi nice about Orm. Since Arthur met his brother, everything he did was wrong in his eyes. But this was a good reminder that Orm was as human as Arthur himself. He wasn’t a comic book villain. He had good qualities despite his bad ones. And he was, indeed, his brother. 

“What do we do then? Wait until they get over the fact that their former king got his ass kicked?”

“I am afraid that might not be enough. We don’t have time. Our intel is very worried about The Deluge.”

“What happened to the squad we sent?” Arthur knew the squad they sent were once Orm’s Special Forces. Vulko told him about how Orm saved a young Idylist girl with purple eyes from Orvax’s fury and gave her a new life. Ziva’s loyalty to Orm was well known around Atlantis. She would often claim she would die for her King without a second thought. Some assumed she was king’s secret lover but Vulko claimed it was absurd, Orm showed no interest in her that way. Vulko was on his side, of course, Arthur knew that. But he also wanted to show Arthur that Orm wasn’t completely evil. There was a time when Orm was a sweet little boy. And for Atlanna’s sake, Vulko wanted Arthur to understand that it has never been easy to grow up as an heir of the throne. Especially with a father like Orvax. 

“Ziva will report you tomorrow, when she returns. But I am afraid you shouldn’t expect good news.” Arthur rubbed his eyes with his gloved hand. This whole thing was extremely frustrating. He knew it wouldn’t be easy but just getting used to being a king was hard enough already. He didn’t need crazy terrorists running around and killing his people right under his nose. 

“Arthur.” He looked at Vulko, hoping for a good advice from his advisor. Poseidon knew how much he needed it.

“Yes?” But Vulko looked troubled. He glanced at the sculptures that decorated the room. There was a one for Orvax once. It was an ‘accident’ that it was gone and ruined. And then there was one for Orm, outside of the palace, it was huge compared to these ones. Vulko wondered after Orm’s fell, what would happen to it? He expected Arthur to destroy it since Orm’s reign didn’t end by a simple death or stepping down. He was taken down. But Arthur didn’t even think about it and Vulko assumed it was because it didn’t actually bother Arthur, also, it would make his mother sad. And to Vulko, it was the right decision. While people were still conflicted, it would make them only angrier toward Arthur.

“I know how it will sound but... I think you need Orm’s public support.” Arthur’s eyes widened with shock. He was expecting something bad, like, talking to Mera’s father, King Nereus or something. But this... this was worse. 

“His... what?” Vulko straightened up and looked right into Arthur’s eyes. He had to make Arthur understand the reasons behind these words. 

“His public support. He must accept you as the king and encourage others to do so. Otherwise, his loyalists won’t bend the knee that easily.” Arthur grinned at Vulko but it wasn’t one of his genuine smiles, it was teasing, almost bitter. 

“Yeah, sure, Vulko. While we are at it, why don’t we ask Orm to come to surface to have a family dinner with us, including my father? We can discuss all the details then.” He laughed humourlessly. “Or as two good brothers, we can go to a football match together.” Vulko looked confused for a moment.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.” Arthur sighed and waved his hand. “Orm will never accept that.”

“If it’s for Atlantis...”

“Orm doesn’t care about Atlantis.”

“I know he seems like a power-hungry maniac but trust me, I know him since he was a little boy. Orm’s priority has always been Atlantis. He declared war because he truly believes this is the right thing to do for his people.” Vulko placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder gently. He can only imagine how hard this must have been for Arthur. Things were supposed to get better after he defeated Orm and claimed the throne but it didn’t. Because this was reality and dethroning a beloved king wasn’t that easy. “You must convince him. We can’t deal with a civil war right now, with Deluge at our door. Especially not when your kingship is still so fragile.” Arthur sighed, closing his eyes for a second. He could do this. For his mother. For Mera. For Vulko. For Atlantis. 

“I will talk to him.” Vulko’s smile was filled with pride. Arthur might not be his son but he was still proud of him. 

“Thank you.”

Lady Ziva was known for being a hardworking and very punctual soldier. She appeared in the throne room as she promised, kneeling in front of him. 

“Ziva.”

“My King.” Her greeting was not that different from Murk’s. It was respectful but this respect was shown to the crown, not Arthur himself. He was okay with that. As long as they didn’t hate him or try to dethrone him, he could deal with their mistrust. He knew it would take time to gain their full respect and trust.

“Vulko told me about you.” He eyed the young woman in front of her. She was barely younger than him or Orm. She had long brown hair framing her heart-shaped face and her eyes were bright purple. Arthur was told about this fact before but it was still a strange sight. He tried to be respectful and hoped Ziva didn’t notice him eyeing her with curiosity. “He said you were... close to my brother.”

“I was the head of his special forces.” Ziva’s emotionless expression didn’t change, not even after the mention of his brother’s name but Arthur could swear her mouth twitched for a second. 

“So... you weren’t...?” Mera told him several times that he was an idiot and even though she said it lovingly, he was starting to believe it. Because here they were, Commander Ziva and King Arthur, yet he was talking to her like they were two people having a drink in a bar. He wanted to slap himself for being an idiot. He was just curious about his brother, it was really Vulko’s fault for trying to force Arthur learn more about Orm. It was still strange (and maybe saddening) to learn about his brother from a soldier. 

“Are you trying to ask me if I was his lover, my King?” Ziva’s voice stayed emotionless but her eyes were burning with something that Arthur couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Your words, not mine.” Okay, this also wasn’t very king-like. And he was glad that Mera or Atlanna weren’t here with him. 

“No. No, I wasn’t.” Ziva’s answer was certain, Arthur couldn’t even question it, she was clearly sincere. “But I would give my life for your brother.”

“And he?”  _Did he love you, like you loved him?_

“I don’t know.” Ziva’s purple eyes met his without an ounce of fear. “It’s not my place to question my King.”

“And what about now? He’s no longer the king.” This got Arthur the reaction he was seeking for. Ziva’s eyes widened slightly. But she grew up in a place where she was hated and casted aside until Orm trained her. She knew how to fight for her life, she knew how to play these games.

“Prince Orm Marius has my respect, admiration and loyalty.” Arthur expected her to stop here but something changed in her eyes and she looked at him again. “May I speak freely, my King?”

Arthur gestured her to continue. 

“When I was a young girl, I promised Prince Orm that I would always be loyal to the throne.” Arthur raised an eyebrow but he didn’t interrupt the young woman. “And I still am. You are my king now, I will follow your orders, I will respect you. But...” she bit her lower lip thoughtfully, “Prince Orm is where my loyalty lies. I know you probably think he’s a monster but a monster wouldn’t save me. A monster wouldn’t protect his outcast citizens.” Only then she realized what she was doing and quickly looked down. “I am sorry, I—”

“No.” Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s okay. I don’t think Orm is a monster, Ziva.” And it was good to finally say this out loud because everyone around him was trying to convince him that Orm wasn’t evil no matter what wrongs he committed. But the truth is, Arthur knew. He didn’t even hate Orm. He was frustrated, angry and... sad. He just wanted his brother but he never expected his brother to be so bitter, so angry, so grumpy. There was so much anger and bottled pain and hurt in Orm that he clearly isolated himself from everything and everyone until it turned him into a cold and cruel ruler. 

“Okay.” Her answer came out low and weak. Arthur wondered if she actually believed him. 

“Now, tell me about the Deluge.” This was enough to sober her up. Her face hardened as the commander in her surfaced again. 

“As we suspected, they are led by Corum Rath. He was one of the ‘Hadalin’ and—”

“Excuse me, he’s what?” Ziva raised an eyebrow and Arthur felt judged by her for not knowing what it meant. Then Ziva blinked like she just remembered Arthur didn’t grow up in Atlantis.

“It was a slur word for the people of Ninth Tride.  But now that’s how everyone calls them.” Arthur nodded, grateful for the simple explanation. “Corum Rath believes your ways are wrong. He is convincing people that your reign will weaken Atlantis and that you favour the surface world. He blames the surface dwellers for Great Deluge.”

“That’s madness.” Now Arthur was almost certain that he was facing a mad man.

“Lord King, it doesn’t matter if it’s madness or not.” Ziva said softly. “The problem is that, he managed to convince so many people. And his supporters are growing stronger. Especially in Ninth Tride. You have to do something about the poverty in there.”

“And what about Orm?” Ziva’s expression turned into confusion. “Did Orm not think about doing something about Ninth Tride?”

“Ninth Tride is a very closed place, their ties with the rest of Atlantis is almost cut. Prince Orm gave them their freedom but there wasn’t much to do at the moment. As far as I know, Prince Orm actually had plans to strengthen the ties after the war but.... Anyway, this isn’t the worst part.”

“Oh, come on.” Arthur growled. He couldn't take more bad news. He spent the entire night thinking about Vulko’s advice. He didn’t want to talk to Orm, not about this. When he said they would talk, he didn’t mean that. 

“Should I... continue?” Ziva was confused by Arthur’s reaction because she wasn’t used to seeing these emotions from a king. Orm was cold, collected and isolated. He barely showed any emotion other than anger. That was strange and new to Ziva. 

“Yes, please.” Arthur answered tiredly.

“We heard rumours of fusion bombs, Lord King.”

“Fusion bombs?” Arthur’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline with great shock.

“Yes.” Ziva confirmed gravely. “It seems like Rath is planning to use those bombs against the surface world. And it’s really bad, My King.”

“Those fusion bombs... how strong they are?” Ziva looked him dead in the eye.

“Strong enough to sink an entire city.”

“God damn it.” Arthur buried his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes. He was too tired for this. And now they were back at sinking cities and declaring war against the surface. It’s been only a couple of months. He thought people would chill for a while at least.

Ziva was patiently waiting for him to finish his self-pity party. Arthur raised his head and looked at her. 

“Can I ask you something, Ziva?” The girl looked surprised by his sudden request but nodded.

“Of course, Lord King.”

“Do you think my brother cared about Atlantis?” Ziva didn’t answer right away and for a second Arthur assumed that it was an answer itself. If she was questioning this then it meant she had her doubts. But then she looked up at him and her eyes were glowing in a way that made his heart clench.

“If I know one thing about Prince Orm... it’s that, he would give his life for Atlantis without a second thought.”

Guards were surprised when he walked into the prison and demanded to see his brother but they didn’t say anything and lead him to a single cell that was at the top floor. He knew his mother visited Orm before. But maybe guards were surprised to see the new king visiting the former one, considering he was the one who dethroned him. Well, Arthur’s father watched enough Tv Shows for Arthur to know that it was supposed to be normal for royal families. Maybe royalty was a mess everywhere, on land or under sea. 

Orm didn’t react when Arthur entered his cell, this was a win perhaps. Arthur wasn’t sure what to expect from his half-brother but it was good to see that Orm didn’t jump on him to choke him. He stood there for a moment, after guards closed the door after him like he said. He didn’t know what to say, where to stand or what to do. This reminded him of how little he knew about Orm. He couldn’t calculate his reactions. 

“So... umm... you like the view?” Well, okay, maybe that was a terrible way to enter his petty, spiteful brother’s cell. But Orm still didn’t react other than a short scoff. Arthur sighed and pressed his fingers against his eyelids. He really didn’t want to deal with his troubled brother considering their turbulent relationship. But he had no choice. If Ziva was right about fusion bombs, then Arthur really needed Orm’s, and eventually his loyalists’, support. Also, both Vulko and Ziva confirmed his assumptions; no matter what he did, Orm knew more about being a king than anyone else around him. 

If he knew one thing about Orm, it was that he was a very direct person. He showed this before duelling, he showed this against the Brine. So, Arthur decided that the small talk was useless and it definitely wouldn’t work on Orm.

“Do you know the Deluge?” He sounded more serious now and Orm clearly noticed that. He finally turned around to look at his brother. Blond man didn’t say anything for a moment, he eyed Arthur in a way that made the older man feel like the dirt on his boot. Arthur wondered how could Orm still make him feel this way when he was the king and Orm himself was a mere prisoner. But his little brother had that aura that screamed royalty unlike Arthur himself. And even when he was sitting in front of him, in a cell, no longer covered by heavy and rich armour, he looked more royalty than Arthur could ever feel like. 

Finally, Orm sneered at him and turned his back to Arthur.

“Of course, I know the Deluge. I grew up here, unlike you. I was ruling this kingdom for years.” Arthur rolled his eyes at his brother behind his back but didn’t snap at him. Like it or not, he needed Orm.

“Okay, okay, I got it.” He tried to stay on Orm’s good side... if he had a good side, that is. “Listen, they are getting stronger and each—”

“You need my support to convince my loyalists to stand with you to strengthen your kingship and your claim over the throne so there won’t be any riots against your ruling or your decisions during the State of Emergency while you are dealing with Deluge which wants to dethrone you in the first place.” Arthur blinked several times, not knowing what to say. Of course, he knew Orm was smart, he knew Orm was a capable diplomat. But he wasn’t expecting his brother to get the reason behind his visit this quickly.

“Well... that was easy.” He said, simply because he didn’t know what else to say. From now on, the ball was on Orm’s court.

 “No.” Well, that was also fast. But it was no surprise to Arthur. He couldn’t imagine Orm wanting to help Arthur, his half-brother who dethroned him. A part of him still believed that he could convince Orm to help him at the end. 

“Orm—” 

“No.”

“Listen.” Arthur walked in front of Orm, blocking his view. He stopped giving a fuck about Orm’s temper, he was just so frustrated and  _tired_. “People are dying. Your people. The people you claim you wanted to protect.” Orm raised an eyebrow.

“Now it’s your duty.” Good thing he wasn’t wearing the crown now (also, it would probably piss off Orm) because he ran a hand through his hair angrily. His brother was really a little shit. 

“You are the prince of—” This triggered Orm, finally. He smirked at Arthur with a bitter expression and burning eyes. Orm’s blue eyes were usually calm, even when he was furious. This was a trick that he learned all by himself when he was a kid. He was always in control. But not this time. He was furious and he wanted Arthur to see all the bottled emotions. 

“Oh, really?  Am I? Why am I sitting in a cell then?”

“You damn well know why.” Arthur leaned forward and pointed a finger at him angrily. 

“If you are powerful enough to defeat the ‘homicidal maniac’ former king, then why can’t you do anything against the Deluge? Or does your power only work against your little brother?” Orm smirked at him with disgust. “I didn’t take you as a coward, Arthur.”

Arthur didn’t say anything. He was mad, oh, he was so mad at his petty little brother but he wouldn’t fall for Orm’s mind games, not this time. 

“You want to know what I would do?” Arthur didn’t break the eye contact, not even by blinking.

“Let me guess... kill them?” Orm folded his arms and leaned back as he eyed Arthur with a humourless smirk on his face.

“You sound so high and mighty now. Because this is the first problem you’ve faced as a king. But you will see soon, dear brother. You can’t be a king without getting your hands dirty.” Arthur’s hands clenched into fists. “A king must always serve his people, even if it means killing.”

“I won’t kill anyone.” Because he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to. Especially not after what happened with Manta. He still had mixed feelings about it. He didn’t want to go around killing people. It shouldn’t be this easy. Never this easy.

Orm growled at him, leaning forward to get a better look at Arthur’s face. And maybe Orm was always mad at Arthur because he hesitated. Maybe he was mad because Arthur couldn’t take this one step forward. And Orm was disappointed this was who his brother was. But Arthur was so blinded by anger and frustration to see that.

“Then you already lost. Because Corum Rath won’t hesitate.” Arthur floated back defeatedly. His expression barely changed but there were traces of disappointment and sadness in his eyes. A part of him that was left behind from his childhood was disappointed to see what kind of person his brother was. The young blond kid with the brightest smile and sharpest blue eyes were just dreams. He didn’t exist. Instead, he had this cold, cruel, broken man in front of him.

And it hurt him, because he loved Orm, even before knowing him, like any brother should [2].

“This was a mistake.”

“I agree.” Orm nodded sternly. “Your blindness and fear will be the end of us.” Arthur stooped slightly and looked at his brother with tired eyes.

“I don’t know what they taught you here, Orm, but I know that you can’t solve your every problem by killing.”

“It’s so easy to be the good guy by doing nothing.” Orm’s hands clenched into fists on his knees. “You think I am evil because I was brave enough to go to the great lengths to save my people.” His cold blue eyes meet Arthur’s. “Maybe I am evil, maybe I am the good guy. Who could know? But it’s clear that you are neither.”

Arthur turned around so fast that bubbles appeared in the water around him.

“Don’t you see what your impulsiveness caused us?!” He was so done, he didn’t care if Orm never agreed to help him after that. He just wanted to tell his brother what an idiot asshole he was. “There are homicidal terrorists out there, killing Atlanteans because they want to bring you back to the throne!” When Orm didn’t react, Arthur continued. “Your little ‘Ocean Master’ stunt caused this all!”

“The last time I checked,” Orm raised an eyebrow in an unimpressed way, “the Deluge were against your friendly policies about the surface world. It’s been only a couple of months and they are already dissatisfied with your reign, Arthur.” Arthur could almost swear Orm winked at him mordaciously. “I think you have to think about it before pointing fingers.”

Arthur didn’t want to fight with Orm, this was clearly satisfying his overly bored brother. He moved toward the door to leave. But as he raised his hand to knock the door, his hand stilled. He felt like all the emotion, all the anger, worry left his body. There was only left tiredness. He was tired of trying. Tired of fighting. Tired of worrying. His eyes burned.

“I have been waiting for so long.” He muttered without turning around. “I have wanted to meet so much. I dreamed about this.” He closed his eyes tightly to hold back the tears that belonged to a naïve child that had bigger dreams and hopes. “Now I wish I’ve never met you. It was all better in my childish dreams.”

He knocked the door as he waited for guards to appear.

Arthur wasn’t expecting Orm to say anything. He didn’t even think Orm cared. He just wanted to get this out of his chest. But as two brothers stood back to back, they couldn’t see each other’s conflicted and pained expressions.

“Me, too.” Orm muttered quietly. Arthur could barely hear him. “I dreamed of saving you [3], from the surface world.” Arthur didn’t even realize his hand was shaking on the door as he waited quietly to hear just another word that could change everything, that would make him turn around and hug him. So they could both forget everything. “I once thought we would do that together. Now we are literally worlds apart.” [4]

When the door opened, Arthur walked out with disappointment and conflict in his heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Ziva is an OC that I created for another fic. You can find her in [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17331011), also, if you wanna know more about her,  
> [here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/nqo0xj718yhz9xj/ZIVA.pdf?dl=0) are my notes on her that I never got a chance to share.  
> [2] [Actually, Orm says this to Arthur in comics ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/c3032140686983b97a34217eabdb9ab0/tumblr_inline_pldbwsie9y1vt034t_500.png)  
> [3] [x](https://66.media.tumblr.com/8444defecebf904e1336697e2e8d7dbd/tumblr_inline_pldbxokWVR1vt034t_500.png)  
> [4] [x](https://66.media.tumblr.com/1060f2ae738373513aedcfc421a5b40e/tumblr_inline_pldl7zcU6d1vt034t_500.png)
> 
> Also;  
> Ninth Tride is probably the lowest and poorest part of Atlantis.  
> Great Deluge is basically the Great Flood. That's how Atlantis sank beneath the waves.  
>  
> 
> You can find me on tumblr and twitter as Lanthimo, screaming about Orm Marius and Barry Allen  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, he was understanding what Orm meant when he said it was easy to be high and mighty until you had to get your hands dirty. This was the real hardship of a ruler. 
> 
> He opened his eyes, controlling his anger and facial expression as he faced Elder Leot. 
> 
> “Declare State of Emergency."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 80% of this fic ready, I just need to fix some dialogues and other stuff. So, I will try to update frequently (because I know if I don't finish it soon I will never finish it at all)

“I hate doing this.” Atlanna knew her tears were mixing with the salty water around them but as an old habit, she raised her hand to wipe her eye. She looked at the young man in front of her with all the love, admiration and pride in her broken heart. Atlanna’s heart was broken several times during her short lifetime. She was raised to become the Queen due to her mother’s early passing and not having another child. She had a clever student and soon-to-be advisor, Nuidis Vulko, with her. But despite his support, her heart had never been at Atlantis, not completely. She would wander a lot, as a young princess, she would wander around the confines of Atlantis. She was a curious woman, always has been. Maybe that’s why she was so ready to understand and love Tom. Orvax took her surface family from her. Orvax told her he killed her family. Orvax poisoned their only child.  

He was good at raising warriors under his rule. 

He has never been good at raising a child. 

And a part of Atlanna was so desperate to save Orm, not only because he was her son but also because Atlanna could see herself in him. Trapped in this royal buffoonery, knowing nothing but how to become a ruler. And Atlanna hoped Orm would find his own Tom, someone or something that would break his chains and free him from this depressing life. But with Atlanna’s execution and Orvax’s assassination, Orm isolated himself farther, turning into a spiteful and bitter young man.  

Atlanna was glad that at least one of her children had a better childhood and a chance to grow up as a free man. Atlanna knew how loving and caring Tom could be after all. 

“I hate leaving you in a moment like this.” 

“Please, don’t.” Arthur reached forward, gently wiping away his mother’s tear. “My father is sick and it doesn’t make me feel any better to know that he’s alone. He’ll be happy to see you.” He gave his mother a reassuring smile. “We all need a scrap of happiness right now.” 

“I will come back as soon as I can.” Atlanna’s hand grasped Arthur’s wrist, looking right into his eyes with a queen’s determination. “I won’t leave you alone... not again.” 

“I know.” Because he couldn’t imagine his mother abandoning him in a time like this. No matter where she was, he had her support and trust at least. “I am sending 2 guards with you, it’s not safe to go alone right now.” 

“Okay.” Arthur was surprised by his mother’s lack of protest. But Atlanna was a smart woman and the last thing she would want is to put Tom in danger. “I didn’t get a chance to visit Orm.” Her bright blue eyes were clouded with worry. Arthur wasn’t sure if she was worried about Orm or simply mentioning his war criminal brother next to him. “If you see him—” 

“I will.” Arthur didn’t know what Vulko told Atlanna about their agreement but he wanted Atlanna to know that he would definitely visit Orm again. Not for the reason Atlanna assumed probably but he still wanted his mother to relax, knowing that his youngest wouldn’t be rotting in a cell all alone. “I will tell him you miss and love him.” 

“Thank you, Arthur.” And deep down, Arthur knew she didn’t only mean to thank for delivering her message but also for still being civil to Orm. 

 

 

When Arthur first heard about Elder Leot, he was expecting a weak old man with wisdom. He got the wisdom part but Elder Leot was tall, muscular and handsome with grey beard and dark hair. He was wearing a pure white armour with golden details and a red cape which made Arthur feel like he was facing the king and not the other way around. He really needed to embrace his title as soon as possible if he was going to completely claim the throne and win over his citizens.  

“Vulko told me you had the best knowledge on Atlantis around here, Elder Leot.” Older man humbly lowered his head but it was a habit at this point because Leot was aware of his wisdom and knowledge. He wasn’t shy about it. His blue eyes were bright and shining with intelligence.  

“I am honoured that wise Vulko believes my assistance can be helpful to my King.” Leot looked at him with respect but there was something else his eyes. Arthur was never good at reading people and Leot had a very good neutral face. He looked like nothing could bother him. “My knowledge can only be rivalled by Prince Orm’s.” [1] 

Arthur was slowly mastering the same art of keeping your face neutral, it seems like it was an important and very useful skill in Atlantis Royal Palace that everyone learned at a very young age.  

He led Elder Leot to his personal room where he was supposed to be dealing with his daily duties and discussing politics with Vulko, probably, but nowadays it was where he was trying to solve his frustrating family drama. 

“Was my brother a historian?” Arthur meant to say this in a joking manner but Elder Leot nodded thoughtfully. 

“Indeed, he was. He was one of my students, in fact.” This was another surprise to Arthur. “But he well surpassed his peers and even those who claimed to be a historian at a very young age. He was really passionate about it.” Arthur frowned slightly as the guards closed the door behind them. He always assumed that he would meet his half-brother one day and they would bond. He never expected to learn things about him through other people. It felt wrong. Especially the way those people talked about him. It felt like Orm was just away for vacation, not a war criminal who was locked up in a highly protected cell.  

“It is a wonder my brother found time to study all those things considering his training.” Arthur’s hand went to his face without thinking, he could almost feel the throbbing on his right cheek where Orm hit him during their battle. “I can barely have time to talk to my fiancée nowadays.”  

Of course, he didn’t mean to whine about it but he had every right to. He was knee deep in work and it was slowly killing something inside of him. Only thing that brightened his days was Mera.  

“You are still a new king, your Highness. First couple of months are the hardest. Prince Orm struggled, too.” 

“How old was Orm when he took the throne?” Arthur was surprised by the fact that he never actually thought about asking this. He never wondered before. He can’t imagine Orm not being the king of Atlantis. Even in his cell, he looked like a king.  

“He was 15.” Elder Leot didn’t react to Arthur’s surprised expression. His blue eyes stayed on Arthur, watching his every move. “Orm found King Orvax beheaded. Shortly after, he was crowned as the new king of Atlantis. First couple of months, he needed our guidance but he was a natural born leader. And he never gave up on his studies.” A small, barely there smile appeared on his lips. “He was a good student.” 

“Well...” Arthur muttered bitterly, “maybe your ‘good’ student should have paid more attention to the class because he missed the part where you teach that he shouldn’t start war against other kingdoms and the surface.” 

Elder Leot looked annoyed but it only lasted for a second. His blue eyes clouded with doubt and conflict. It was clear that he wanted to say something but he was worried Arthur would take it the wrong way. 

“You can speak freely, Leot.” Arthur might be annoyed by his little brother but as the ‘new guy’ around here, he was willing to listen everyone’s opinion. This might be the key to winning them over. 

 “After Queen Atlanna’s... execution, Atlantis fell into crisis.” Arthur hands clenched into fist due to the mention of his mother’s execution. It always bothered him how people were wary of mentioning it around him but for them, it was clearly just another subject. If Arthur was honest, it still pissed him off how easily they accepted their Queen’s execution. “Orvax was many things but a good leader wasn’t one of them. He was brutal, despiteful, violent and some even dared to call him belligerent. Under his rule, our ties with other kingdoms were almost completely cut. He was provoking them. His biggest dream was controlling all kingdoms and attacking the surface. However, he died before he could attack the Xebel. When Prince Orm took over, people were worried. He was his father’s son, he was just a child. But Orm was training under Orvax as a warrior since he was 8 [2], he was training in philosophy, history, military protocol and diplomacy since he was even younger. He was ready. With Vulko’s support, Orm became the king Atlantis deserved.” 

“You have a lot of faith in a man that brought war to your doorstep.” Leot turned his sharp blue eyes at him. 

“My King, please don’t forget that you only saw the one side of the drachma [3]. When you met Prince Orm, your opinions on him were already settled. But we lived with him for years, under his reign. Believe me when I say this, Prince Orm had the best interests of Atlantis at his heart.” 

“Everyone keeps telling me this but somehow I find it so hard to believe.” Arthur was annoyed by people calling his bellicist brother a good king while dragging him down after he stopped a war that would cause millions of Atlanteans to die.  

“I understand.” Leot nodded. “It’s not your fault that you are still looking at us from outside.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Leot smiled at Arthur. 

“You still see yourself as an outsider. You call us ‘you’ like you aren’t one of us. But you are our king now. Maybe you should start to understand by accepting your heritage first.” 

Arthur avoided looking into Leot’s eyes, he felt almost insulted by the older man’s words. His eyes moved around the room until he decided to ask him what he always meant to ask. Somehow every conversation ended up with being about Orm nowadays. 

“What about Ninth Tride?” He finally looked at the Elder. “If Orm was such a great king... why didn’t he do anything for Ninth Tride?” Leot didn’t look annoyed or attacked. His gaze didn’t waver. 

“Prince Orm brought wealth back to Atlantis. He encouraged technological and medical advancement. He worked for equality between citizens [4]. You met Lady Ziva, she’s the living proof of this project of him. He strengthened our ties with other kingdoms. That’s how King Nereus accepted to talk to him in the first place. Nereus would never go anywhere near Orvax. And no matter how you see it, he became a well-respected and feared leader. He was a brave warrior who never ran away from a fight. It inspired his soldiers.” 

Arthur felt crushed under Leot’s heavy gaze, he looked at him in a way that felt like he was calculating his worth. 

“But at the end of the day, a king is just a king. Not a god.” 

 

 

Arthur didn’t want to see his brother, not after their argument a couple of days ago. It felt like their ties were getting cut every time they spoke to each other. Every time Arthur tried to get close to his brother, to understand him, to get to know him, they were drifting further apart.  

Maybe it was better if he stayed away from him. Unfortunately, this decision was also taken away from him. Because no matter what Arthur wanted, it was made clear that he needed Orm. 

Arthur almost didn’t notice her, she was hidden in the shadows of the old training centre, facing the gigantic Atlantis Prison that rise toward the surface in front of them. He noticed her braided brown hair first. It was framing her face in a strategical way, hiding her face from the rest.  

Lady Ziva Riman. 

Arthur wasn’t sure if it was a good idea but he swam toward the young woman. 

“Did you ever visit my brother after...” She looked startled, hand went to her weapon by her side but as soon as her eyes landed on Arthur, she relaxed slightly. She leaned forward, pressing her chin against her palm as her eyes went back to the prison. 

“No.” Arthur believed Ziva when she said they weren’t lovers. He couldn’t imagine Orm loving anyone anyways. But Ziva’s feelings were clear despite her cold and collected attitude. Arthur would expect Ziva to visit Orm time to time. 

“And why not?” Ziva’s indifferent expression broke into a pained one, almost making Arthur feel bad for asking.  

“I don’t think he would be happy to see me knowing that I am with you now.” Arthur’s eyes traced her face thoughtfully. He tried so hard to understand why people were still loyal to his brother, after everything that happened, but he couldn’t find a logical meaning. 

“You are afraid of disappointing him but don’t you think he’s the one who disappointed you at the end, with his actions?” Ziva’s purple eyes turned to him with a burning passion that made Arthur almost flinch. She had really expressive eyes for a young woman like herself. But from what he heard about her, he knew she had been through a lot.  

“You are mistaken, My King.” Her words didn't bite but her voice sure hinted she wanted to. Despite her still calm façade, there was something spine-chilling buried deep inside. “I am with you because I am loyal to the throne. But you must understand, like many other Atlanteans, I followed King Orm willingly.” She stood up from where she was sitting finally and floated in front of Arthur until they were face to face. 

“You want to change a nation? You don’t just stand still and wait for them to see your way or accept your decision. You have to make a difference. And you have to work hard for it because for so long we’ve been hurt by the surface world. One or two good words won’t change or erase our pain.” Her hands clenched into fists by her side with bitter memories. “You can’t expect us to forget. With time maybe you can make us forgive but don’t ask people to forget.” 

 _Lady_ _Ziva’s_ _eyes met with Orm’s, his eyes looked darker than they actually were under the low light of the room. There was a long table in front of them, she could see the reflection of attack plans on it but her eyes stayed on her King._  

 _“I will not fail you, Lord King.” She said firmly. “Your wish is my command.”_  

 _“Even if_ _Vulko_ _or Elders don’t approve it?”_  

 _“_ _I don’t fight for Atlantis. I fight for you.”_  

 _“Be careful, Lady_ _Ziva_ _, this almost sounds like a treason against the throne.”_ _Their eyes met and_ _Ziva_ _could see a slight smile on his lips. “You should be loyal to the throne, not the person sitting on it.”_  

Arthur curiously watched Ziva’s passionate expression broke into a shocked one as her eyes widened like she just realized where she was.  

“I am sorry, I was out of line.” Arthur raised his hand.  

“No. I value honesty.” Ziva bit her lower lip, she looked conflicted and Arthur has never seen her this... real before. She was always cold, collected, distant and emotionless. A perfect picture of a soldier. That wasn’t realistic at all. Seeing her show more emotions relaxed Arthur a bit. 

“Can I give you an advice, your Highness?” Arthur grinned at her in a very unkingly way that Vulko would consider inappropriate.  

“Please. I really need some good ones nowadays.” 

“One thing people loved about King Orm was that he always explained the logic behind his decisions. That’s why people like Murk followed him blindly. [5] If you want to gain their trust, you can’t just go ahead and say ‘we are going to make peace with the surface’. You have to explain them why you want them to forgive their murderers.”  

“It is a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Arthur cringed at the word ‘murderer’. “And I am trying my best.” 

“With all due respect, Sire, you have done nothing but throw pity parties because Atlanteans don’t trust you. But you keep telling them to forgive and accept the surface world. The truth is, we owe the surface nothing. They have been poisoning us for years. They destroyed us by fighting their own brothers. They throw their trash into our homes.” Ziva’s voice softened, she wasn’t saying all this to hurt him. She didn’t hate the new king, just because she was loyal to the previous one. But right or wrong, he had to understand the point of view of Atlanteans. Some things were deeper than simply being right or wrong. Atlantis was an ancient civilization and they were still faithful to their traditions and beliefs. “By praising them, you are insulting our dead.”    

Arthur didn’t say anything, perhaps he wasn’t expecting Ziva to be this open, everyone in the Palace was walking on egg shells around him. But Ziva was doing him a favour by explaining the truth that Vulko or Atlanna weren’t willing to.  

“It doesn’t help that you broke the rules, Atlanteans are very traditional people. You challenged the king in front of everyone, it was a fair fight. But instead of keeping your end of the deal, you fled away with Princess Mera, attacking the king and cheating. I am not saying this to blame you but it was your first appearance in Atlantis and it didn’t leave a good taste.” 

Arthur wanted to be petty for once, he was Orm’s brother after all. He wanted to call her out for talking to the King this way, he wanted to blame her for siding with a power-hungry maniac because she was in love with him. What stopped him was her motives. She didn’t say any of these because she hated him. Sometimes strangers could see what’s good for you better than your friends and family. Vulko, Atlanna or Mera would never say any of this to his face. But he needed to hear this.  

“Surface world isn't entirely terrible like most of you believe.” Arthur muttered half-heartedly. He was tired of defending the surface when he knew they weren’t exactly innocent. He didn’t believe so. He just wanted to stop a war from killing more people.  

“These little details don’t mean anything when you are constantly dying, my King.” Arthur nodded slowly, he was too tired to argue with her. He didn’t want to, especially since a part of him knew she was right. 

“Do you want me to say hi to my brother for you?” Ziva was startled then, her eyes widened slightly as she looked up at him, considering whether he said this to hurt or he was genuine. In the end she managed to control her facial expression and settled for indifference.  

“No.” But her voice betrayed her when she muttered. “Have a good day, my King.” 

 

 

 _Ziva’s_ _hand tightened around the gem that was tied around her neck with a piece of sea silk. Her fellow soldier in training, Mina, was going through her notes next to her._ _Ziva_ _pressed her forehead against the glass and sighed. She was only 21 back then. Her young age didn’t match the wisdom in her eyes after all the hardship she went through since her birth._  

 _“_ _Ziva_ _.” Mina’s voice was filled with disapproval. She was a good friend who wanted the best for_ _Ziva_ _and she was afraid purple eyed girl would get her heart broken. “Are you still thinking about that thing?”_  

 _Ziva_ _knew she meant the gem between her fingers. It was hours after her life was spared by Prince Orm’s request. She was afraid of being sent to the deep ocean where even her enhanced eyes couldn’t see anything and she would break into pieces under the claws of the Trench. Prince Orm wanted to prove himself, he was seeking for a chance to train his own Elite Commanders. And she was about to become the first one of them. She couldn’t grasp the importance of that day back then. She just remembered Prince Orm giving her this gem which was the same one_ _Kordax_ _used several years ago. She was mesmerized by the pale green stone and Prince Orm placed it into her hand, telling her maybe she could solve the mystery one day. Her magic was weak and she could barely do anything with it but Orm never showed any disappointment. Instead, he praised her skills as a soldier._  

 _“I am worried about you,_ _Ziva_ _.” Mina touched her shoulder softly. “He is the king, we are mere soldiers. You know he’s destined to marry Princess_ _Mera_ _.”_  

 _“I know.”_ _Ziva_ _smiled at Mina. “I know nothing would ever happen. And I don’t expect anything. I just—” She looked down at the gem in her hand with a saddened expression. “He is so lonely. He isolated himself since Queen’s execution. And it got worse after King_ _Orvax’s_ _dead. He seems so unhappy and no one cares. They only worry about a young man being the king. The title is all they care for.” Her thumb caressed the smooth side of the gem thoughtfully. “He saved us, you and me. He gave us a new life. We are no longer casted aside freaks. I wish we could do the same for him. Help him.” Mina’s hand_   _squeezed her shoulder supportively._  

 _“All we can do for King Orm is to become good enough soldiers to honour his trust in us.”_  

 

 

Vulko kept his promise as Orm would. He was locked up in the highest level of the prison, highly secured in any way. And he had the best view in the entire place. That’s why his hand was pressed up against the smooth surface of the thick shatter-proof glass as his eyes found Arthur talking to Lady Ziva. He felt like there was a lump in his throat as he tried to gulp.  

Ziva was here. 

Orm’s blue eyes stayed on her petite yet strong figure until she bowed to Arthur and left. His hand clenched into a fist on the glass, he pressed his head against the smooth surface and closed his eyes. He didn’t move until he heard the guards opening the door of his cell. 

He didn’t need to turn around to know that it was Arthur. Older man waited for a couple of minutes for Orm to turn around and look at him but the young brother didn’t move at all. At the end, Arthur sighed and rubbed his eyes with his gloved fingers. 

“Listen, I don’t want to be here either but I need to ask you something.” 

“Another cry for help, brother?” Orm’s face was pressed against his left arm that was leaning against the thick glass so Arthur couldn’t see his expression clearly but he could see the smirk on his lips and for a second, he wondered whether he would punch the younger man if they weren’t brother.  

“I didn’t come here to ask for your support this time.” He answered coldly. “I wanted to ask you about the Ninth Tride.” 

“I thought you had Vulko for that.” Orm finally turned around with an indifferent expression.  

“Vulko wasn’t the king once.” He swam closer to Orm, this time it was his turn to play Orm’s game against him. “Tell me, brother, why am I hearing about the poverty and suffering in Ninth Tride? I thought you were supposed to be a great king. Yet you couldn’t do anything about them? I wonder why.” He hoped this would trigger Orm to reveal his ideas and plans about the Ninth since Arthur couldn’t imagine Orm telling him anything willingly after the last time they faced each other.  “Maybe you were only the king of the bourgeois.” 

Arthur could see Orm’s lips curling with anger. His hands clenched into fists but he didn’t say anything, his cold blue eyes followed Arthur instead. Orm wasn’t ready to give up? So be it. Arthur could be annoying, too. They were brothers after all. 

“You claim you fought for your people but you turned your back to their suffering when it was far from your cosy palace?” 

“You don’t know anything about me nor my reign.” Orm hissed between his teeth. “Did you forget, you weren’t even here back then.” 

“Another discrimination of you and your followers.” Arthur snapped back at him.  

“I am not the one who kept you away, brother.” Orm’s facial muscles relaxed, leaving behind no trace of anger. “It was my father who set the rules. And I told Atlantean guards to save you, but they refused [6]. But it wasn’t actually their fault. Atlantis has always been distant and reserved. They don’t accept others very easily. Even Mera struggled to adjust and she is the princess of another kingdom.” 

“Maybe it’s time for a change then.” Arthur smirked. “Because I am not going anywhere.” 

“You mean until Corum Rath takes you down?” 

“So, you say Corum Rath is a better leader then you are?” Orm’s eyes hardened. “Because I remember finding Dead King’s Scepter and kicking your ass with it.” 

“Try to piss me off as much as you want, Arthur, if these little victories are going to make you happy, so be it. After all, you are walking a tightrope, aren’t you? As a good little brother, I will put up with your childish games for now.” 

Arthur hated how no matter what he says or does, he could never be as good at this game as his little brother. Orm didn’t pull his punches. And in a way or another, he always found a way to piss him off. 

“So instead of answering my question, you are going to be a little shit again?” He had one last card to play. “I didn’t take you as a coward, Orm.” 

Arthur only saw Orm a couple of times before. And he couldn’t remember ever seeing him laugh like this, showing teeth. If Arthur tried to imagine his brother laughing before, he would expect it to be creepy. Orm didn’t seem like a person who would laugh, it would look... askew on him. Yet, here he was, laughing at Arthur in a way that made him look so young. For some reason, this bothered Arthur the most.  

“You have no idea, do you?” Arthur came closer to the blond man. 

“I am not here to play games, Orm. Everyone, for some reason, defends you, claiming you had plans for Ninth Tride.” Orm raised an eyebrow, not believing anyone in this place would ever defend him at this point. They were all traitors. “But you didn’t do anything until now and I want to know why. This, once again, is all your fault. You claimed the title ‘Ocean Master’ and I keep hearing this goddamn alias in every corner, they are seeing you as a god, a saviour. But I know you are just a narcissist little boy who wants more and more power. You are no saviour. No god. No hero. Now, your lack of intervention in Ninth Tride brought this on us. You owe this to me.” 

In any other scenario, Orm would be furious at Arthur for claiming that he owed him anything. But now, Orm’s cold blue eyes were watching him thoughtfully, considering his options. The truth was, Arthur was surprised to see Orm react so calmly. He wasn’t sure if this was a good sign or not.  

“A couple of years ago, I found my father’s files.” Arthur was surprised by the sudden change of subject and Orm’s tone but he didn’t say anything in fear of irritating him to a point that he wouldn’t tell him anything. “There was one on Ninth Tride.” 

“And?” Arthur held his breath, not knowing what was coming next. He knew it wasn’t good. He never met Orm’s father, Orvax, but he knew about him enough to dislike the man. He knew he sent his mother to execution. He knew he abused both Atlanna and Orm [7]. Nothing good would come from that man. 

Orm turned his head slightly, looking through the window thoughtfully. Arthur could only see the half of his face but there was something grim about his expression. 

“Arthur,” Older man was surprised to hear his own name spoken like this by his brother. He usually called him ‘brother’ sarcastically or said his name with anger and hatred. Never like this. Never this neutral, “You have creatures like aquatic insects on the surface world, right? What do you do when those insects invade your living space?” 

Arthur opened his mouth but no sound came out for a moment. He gulped again, feeling a lump in his throat.  

“You kill them.” He whispered slowly. Orm looked up at him with those sharp blue eyes that snapped something inside Arthur. He jumped forward, grabbing Orm’s collar. Orm’s back hit the wall behind them with a thud.  

 “Was this your plan?!” Arthur pulled him closer again, yelling at his face. “Were you going to kill them?” Orm push him away angrily. 

“Don’t touch me!” Arthur let the water carry his body for a second, trying to calm down. “Of course not!” Orm pulled his collar, fixing it. His hair was falling into his eyes and Arthur has never seen Orm look more imperfect. He was always collected in a way that made everyone around him feel like they weren’t good enough. His aura was his secret weapon. “It was my father’s plan to nuke the entire place and make it look like another kingdom’s doing. Not mine. No matter what, they are still my people.” 

“Then why are you telling me this?” Orm calmed down then. Arthur could see the doubts in his blue eyes. Orm avoided looking at him, instead, he turned his eyes to the kingdom that he worked so hard to improve. 

“It made me think.” This piqued Arthur’s interest. Orm raised his hand, long fingers softly touching the smooth surface, he looked distracted like he was trying to find an old memory. “Why do insects surround your places on the surface?” Arthur was annoyed by his riddles at this point but he knew the best tactic was to play along.  

“I don’t know, okay? To find food? Hide from cold weather? Warmth?”  Orm looked outside thoughtfully. 

“Like the Trench.” He muttered. “They only come up to find food. They don’t think. They just want more and more food.” 

“What has Trench got to do with Ninth Tride?” 

“They came to the upper levels because what they have is no longer enough for them.”  Orm turned around to look at his half-brother. “I was planning to improve living conditions. To provide better jobs. Do you know how many Atlanteans die in Ninth Tride every year from exhaustion? They work tirelessly as masonries to buy a piece of food.”  Orm closed his eyes with a deep frown and rubbed his forehead frustratedly.  “I am not heartless, Arthur. I don’t care what you think. I already made plans with Elders. After the war, I was going to unite all the kingdoms, providing better jobs, better places to live. I was going to make the deep ocean a liveable place. Cleaning our waters, controlling the Trench.” Arthur watched Orm as the younger brother opened his eyes and looked at him. “This makes me wonder... what plans do you have?” 

“It’s not your business. You are just a prisoner here. You can’t question me.” Orm’s frown broke into a knowing smirk. 

“You don’t have many plans, do you?” Arthur opened his arms wide with a frustrated expression. He was feeling like a bomb that was ready blow for a while and blowing at Orm was a better choice than breaking Mera’s heart in a moment of weakness.  

“Excuse me if I didn’t have enough time to work on my politics and policies while your loyalists are choking me with their doubts and questions and Deluge killing my people to dethrone me.” Arthur turned to leave, he heard what he wanted to, there was no point in staying here any longer. He was just so tired of arguing with Orm. It led nowhere. They were both so stubborn.  

“Arthur?” 

“What?” Arthur asked annoyedly without turning around. 

“Expose Atlantis.” 

“What?” Arthur turned around quickly. 

“Expose Atlantis to the surface world.” Arthur’s eyes widened, Orm’s back was still turned to Arthur so he couldn’t see blond man’s face but his voice was low, almost defeated like Arthur has never heard before. Not even when Arthur broke his father’s trident.  

“What? Why? Why would—You hate that idea!”  Orm looked at Arthur over his shoulder with a strange expression and tired eyes. Maybe Arthur wasn’t the only one wearing off by this never-ending argument between them. 

“This is the only thing that can save you right now.” Arthur looked confused but his expression softened when he realized what was going on. Orm was giving him an advice. Orm was protecting him. “Atlanteans don’t really know Atlantis is a myth on land [8]. Expose Atlantis but don’t let them know the exact location and announce to Atlanteans that you will meet your world’s rulers. This will make them believe you are willing to change things. It will give you time to deal with the Deluge. Promise them you will work to stop them from polluting our waters. Meet with their United Nations as a foreign king. Explain our situation. Tell them tidal waves was my doing and that you stopped me. That won’t make them trust you but their fear will make them listen to you. They won’t listen to a bunch of people since it doesn’t meet their benefits. But they will talk to a powerful and rich foreign king.” 

“Orm...” Arthur lifted his left hand and reached forward toward his brother. But the blond man raised his hand to silence him. 

“Don’t.” 

“Thank you.” 

“There is no need.” Orm’s hands clutched his knees, fingers buried in the fabric of his suit. “I am doing this for Atlantis, not you.” Arthur nodded. 

“I appreciate it.” Orm’s eyes never left the window in front of him, he sat straight and kept his expression free of any emotions until he heard the door close after his older brother. 

Only then he let his shoulders drop and buried his face into his hands. 

 

 

Arthur belonged to two different worlds with different cultures, languages, traditions and vocabularies. But none of them were enough to describe the beauty of the woman in front of him. Mera’s bright red hair was framing her beautiful face as she chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. Sometimes Arthur wondered how a woman like herself fell in love with him.  

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and Mera was startled for a second. But then she giggled and turned around in his arms, wrapping her slender yet muscular arms around his shoulders. 

“Well, hello, my King.” Mera’s beautiful eyes traced Arthur’s features. She was happy to see Arthur looked more relaxed now. It was strange though, considering he was coming from a meeting with his brother. And Mera knew how frustrating Orm could be. Mera’s hand caressed Arthur’s cheek lovingly. 

“You look happy.” Arthur grinned at the red head. 

“Happy wouldn’t be the right word, exactly, but I am better now.” He kissed Mera’s forehead. “I have a plan now.” 

“A plan?” Mera’s worried eyes met Arthur’s.  

“Don’t worry, Mera. I met Orm and this time he was willing to help me.” 

“Orm helped you?” Mera raised an eyebrow.  

“Why are you so surprised? Weren’t you guys friends once?” 

“That’s exactly why I am surprised.” Mera looked at him playfully but there was something in her eyes that made Arthur want to know more about their childhood.  

“What was he like... my brother?” Mera’s smile dropped and replaced by a frown. Arthur didn’t understand how could they be friends, Mera and Orm were nothing alike. Yet both Mera and Atlanna mentioned that they were close before Orvax’s death.  

“He was... complicated. When we were kids, Orm was okay. He was determined, passionate and smart. But he wasn’t cruel nor was he cold. But then... Atlanna was sent away and Orm started to change. Actually, he was changing long before that. Orvax started your brother’s training at a very young age, knowing his powers, he had high hopes and he isolated Orm from me and your mother.” 

“Wait.”  Arthur frowned confusedly at his fiancée. “Orm had powers?” 

“Has.” Mera looked uncomfortable. “He has powers.” 

“What kind of powers?” Mera’s green eyes met Arthur’s, he was surprised by the anxious look she threw at him.  

“Very dangerous ones.” This didn’t make any sense to Arthur. If Orm was indeed powerful, then why wouldn’t he use them against Arthur during their last battle? Arthur wasn’t holding back and Orm had less reasons to hold back against Arthur. 

“But... then why did he not use them?” Mera turned her eyes away.  

“He wasn’t wielding his own trident.” She bit her lower lip thoughtfully, considering how much she could tell him. She wasn’t supposed to be the one to tell him but she couldn’t lie to Arthur. “Orm had another trident that was his own. It was forged long before Atlantis sank. And Orm showed a very rare talent, just like you did. He was wielding Neron’s powers [9]. He could control not only the ocean but also the weather. I saw him summon lightening with my own eyes.” Arthur couldn’t help it but shudder with a dreadful feeling. Imagining his dangerous brother wielding even more dangerous powers was a scary thought. This still didn’t answer his questions. “However, there was a downside. It hurt him. [10]” 

“What?” Mera shrugged. 

“It was hurting him, physically.” Mera touched Arthur’s shoulder softly. “Neron’s powers are both a blessing and a curse. And knowing how powerful he was, Orvax made Orm use his powers quite often. Atlanna wanted to stop him because she knew it was hurting him but Orvax didn’t let her. That’s why he separated Orm from Atlanna. Soon after, Atlanna was sent to Trench.” 

“So, my brother—” But they were interrupted before Arthur could ask the question that was bothering him. 

“My King! You have to come quickly.” Elder Leot looked nothing like the last time Arthur saw him. No trace left of his calmness, he looked scared and almost traumatized.  Arthur looked at Mera before swimming toward the old man. Elder Leot leaned against the King, his eyes wide with fear. 

“What happened?” Mera swam closer to see what was wrong. 

“There has been another attack.” Mera gasped loudly behind his back. Arthur’s hand clenched into a fist. He knew he had to ask. He didn’t want to. But he had to know.  

“How bad?” Leot's eyes closed tightly for a moment as he muttered those words that broke something in Arthur. 

“Too many died. Including children.” Mera pressed a hand against her mouth, eyes watering with tears that were wiped away by the ocean. Arthur closed his eyes for a second, teeth clenched tightly. 

Finally, he was understanding what Orm meant when he said it was easy to be high and mighty until you had to get your hands dirty. This was the real hardship of a ruler.  

He opened his eyes, controlling his anger and facial expression as he faced Elder Leot. 

“Declare State of Emergency and call Men of War [11].” 

 

 

 _“You want to know what I would do?”_  

 _“_ _He was a brave warrior who never ran away from a fight.”_  

 _“_ _You can’t be a king without getting your hands dirty.”_  

 _“Too many died. Including children.”_  

 

Arthur’s hands were tightened around his helmet, looking at his own reflection on the shiny surface of it without actually seeing. His mind was working non-stop. He couldn’t get their voices out of his head. Orm. Elder Leot. He imagined dying children. Grieving parents. He remembered himself, sitting on the beach with teary eyes, knowing his mother would never return to them. 

“Arthur.” Mera’s voice was soft as a silk as she touched his shoulder softly. “Murk is here.” 

Arthur turned around without seeing anything. Murk and his fellow guards were lined up in front of him. They all had the same grim expression on their faces. Everyone already heard about what happened. 

He didn’t know what to tell them. They were right about him. Just because he was the worthy wielder of Dead King’s Scepter, it didn’t magically give him the knowledge or skills to rule an entire kingdom. But as he looked at them, each one of them, he could feel their anger, their pain inside of him. He could feel his own disappointment, his own anger and pain buried deep inside since Vulko told him the truth about his mother. 

Never again. 

He would never let this happen again. 

Not to his people.  

“Today," he grabbed his trident, “they took our children. Our wives. Our mothers. From us. We can’t let this happen any longer. It is our duty to put an end to this.” His hand tightened around the shaft of his trident. “It’s my duty as your king.” 

“Let me form a group really quick, Lord King. And let me come with you.” Murk stepped forward with no trace of fear in his eyes. Other men made similar noises.  

“Alright then. Murk, get your men ready. We are leaving in an hour.” His eyes were burning with the desire for justice. Justice for his people. “To the Ninth.” 

Murk left with his men as they went to get the ship ready. Arthur turned to Mera who had a sad frown shadowing her beautiful features.  

“Mera.” He muttered her name like a prayer. “As my soon-to-be Queen, you are in charge until I come back.” His hands framed her face, looking into her eyes lovingly. Mera reached forward and grasped his wrists, pressing her forehead against his. 

“Be careful, Arthur.” The king kissed the forehead of his fiancée. 

“Don’t worry about me, Mera. If Vulko comes back from Xebel before I do, tell him I am going to end this.” Mera nodded softly before Arthur pressed his lips against hers. 

 

 

**SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO THE NINTH TRIDE**

 “Commander Urcell.” Young woman with dark skin and long black hair swam closer to the man who was waiting for her. She bowed her head slightly as a greeting. The man had long brown hair and blue eyes but he couldn’t be considered handsome due to the ugly frown and cruel look on his face. “I hope you brought me good news.”  

She smirked at him. 

“The fish took the bait. He is coming to us.” 

Man closed his eyes for a moment, an ugly smile appeared on his face. Urcell waited patiently for his reaction, her cold eyes watching him indifferently as he soaked in the glory of first step of his victory.  

“Good, very good.” He looked at her with the same ugly smile that would send chill down one’s spine. 

 “Soon, the entire Atlantis will bow down to Corum Rath and the Deluge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Orm is known for being a historiography, despite his young age, his knowledge on Atlantis is very rich  
> [2] [x](https://66.media.tumblr.com/e8714da54d2b9e12f94f75381fc87e3e/tumblr_inline_pkp5imVHAO1vt034t_500.png)  
> [3] Yes, I used drachma, deal with it  
> [4] Orm actually believes that no citizens should be casted aside simply for being different. It's mentioned when he allowed Garth to stay with his mother in New 52  
> [5] Murk actually tells Arthur that Orm explained his decisions and didn't expect them to blindly follow his orders in comics  
> [6][x](https://66.media.tumblr.com/61a75a6a64d7e54c44c8388f175caf6d/tumblr_inline_pkp59m442e1vt034t_500.png)  
> [7] In comics, Orvax is abusive. He beats both Atlanna (in front of little Orm) and Orm.  
> [8] In comics Orm blames the surface world for hating Atlantis, Arthur wants to explain that the surface dwellers believe Atlantis is a myth. So, Atlanteans aren't really aware they are a myth lol  
> [9] Movie erased them but Orm has actually pretty cool powers. He's a magician. He can manipulate the weather, summon lightening and hydrokinesis, only when he's wielding his trident though.  
> [10] Before N52, Orm sold his soul for this power. When he was separated from his trident he would suffer physically. However, since movie erased those powers, I changed this part a little bit. Now it hurts when he uses it.  
> [11] They are king's guards in Atlantis and Murk is their leader
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'm Lanthimo on tumblr & twitter


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE WE START: These 3 chapters were already ready, I just fixed some dialogues, added short scenes and flashbacks etc But my notes end here... from now on I will have to sit down and write full chapters... so... we'll see. But I wanted to explain how I managed to update so quickly lol  
> Also, this chapter is trash no matter I did I couldn't fix it because your girl can't write action *cries*

_After spending a couple of years in the Royal Palace,_ _Ziva_ _could say that she mastered the art of being patient. There was always something to wait for. Prince Orm taught her to be patient, to wait and think before attacking. He taught her how to plan her moves before going in. Elder_ _Leot_ _and Elder_ _Yavi_ _taught her the protocol._  

 _If she could speak for herself, she would say she was a very patient person at this point. As she waited at the door with other guards, Elder_ _Leot_ _keeping King Orm busy longer than he was supposed to as usual, she didn’t sigh, she didn’t complain or roll her eyes. Her posture was perfect for a king’s guard._ _Her eyes met with one of the guards,_ _Wanga_ _, and he looked at her in a strange way that made her heart clench._  

 _Something was going on, she could feel it. And those two guards spent the entire morning guarding this door which means whatever that put them on the edge was probably about the king._  

 _They were alone in the hall and_ _Ziva_ _knew_ _Wanga_ _for a couple of years now. Despite never talking to the other guy, Gard, he seemed like a friendly type. She could ask them and_ _Wanga_ _would tell her at some point, especially if it was that important._  

 _When she opened her mouth to ask them what was going on (because no matter how patient she was, she needed to know), the doors opened and_ _Ziva_ _came face to face with Elder_ _Leot_ _._  

 _“Oh, Lady_ _Ziva_ _.”_ _Leot_ _eyed_ _Ziva_ _from head to toe with his usual cold, emotionless eyes. When she was younger,_ _Ziva_ _would call him ‘dead fish eyes’ behind his back and it was a nickname that became popular among the guards. “King Orm is waiting for you.”_  

 _Ziva_ _greeted him with a simple nod and entered the room without looking behind as the doors closed after her._ _King’s back was turned to him, he was looking at the reflections of different pages, from this distance she couldn’t read what they were about but she didn’t dare to swim closer to him. No matter what, he was her King and she wouldn’t cross any lines with him._  

 _“My King.” She bowed slightly, eyes never leaving his armoured back. He didn’t turn around as she expected. She frowned, not hiding her anxiety since he wasn’t even looking at her._  

 _“Lady_ _Ziva_ _.” His greeting was almost_ _standoffish which didn’t sit well with_ _Ziva_ _. She knew people considered King Orm as someone who is cold, distant and maybe arrogant but as someone who was by his side for years, long before he became a king, she knew that wasn’t true. Orm often looked tired, annoyed and unimpressed. But none of them ever made him impolite or rude._  

 _There was something going on. She just knew it._  

 _“I need you for a mission that’s very unusual for your position, Lady_ _Ziva_ _. Can you do that for me?”_ _She clasped her hands behind, straightening her back. Eyes sharpened with the passion for a new duty and a desire to serve to the King._  

 _“As long as my King requires my service, I will always serve him as best as I can. In any position.” Finally, King Orm turned around slowly, he looked distracted in a way that made_ _Ziva_ _think he wasn’t actually looking at all those files in front of him. Then was he avoiding her by not looking at her?_  

 _Ziva_ _wanted to slap herself. He was the king. He had no reason to avoid her. She wasn’t that important. She was just another faceless person in the palace. Or maybe not. At least she knew he trusted her._  

 _“Good.” He nodded perfunctorily. He didn’t look like himself at all. He was distracted and thoughtful, a lingering frown on his face._ _Ziva_ _bit her lower lip, she couldn’t just ask the King about his well-being. So, she decided to wait for his next words. “For the next 2 days, I need you to be_ _Mera’s_ _personal guard.”_  

 _Ziva_ _was trained to keep an inexpressive face under pressure but she couldn’t help and raised an eyebrow._  

 _“My King?” Her words came out as a question. She watched as Orm closed his eyes and sighed. She wanted to reach out, to comfort him. He looked tired and nervous. She wanted to ask why but it was not her place._  

 _“Next two days will be... interesting.” He frowned like his choice of word was wrong and he was offended by it. “Only for 2 days. Then_ _Mera_ _will return to_ _Xebel_ _to talk to her father.”_ _Ziva_ _didn’t understand anything but she wasn’t here to question her King’s orders._  

 _Orm didn’t say anything else as he gestured her to leave without looking at her. She couldn’t help herself and took a look at him over his shoulder before doors closed after her. The sight of King Orm leaning against a table tiredly felt like a punch in the stomach._  

 

 

 _“I am here by King Orm’s orders, I was told to be princess’ personal guard until she leaves for_ _Xebel_ _.”_ _Mera’s_ _maid, Ean from Widowhood_ _[1]_ _eyed_ _Ziva_ _from head to toe_ _deprecatingly. She left_ _Ziva_ _alone at the doorstep of_ _Mera’s_ _chamber to announce her arrival. Despite Princess_ _Mera_ _being the guest in the Royal Palace and this place being her home for years, she felt out of place. Finally, Ean told her to come inside._  

 _Princess_ _Mera_ _was probably the most beautiful woman_ _Ziva’s_ _ever seen. Her hair alone was so unique and pretty that made feel_ _Ziva_ _self-conscious._ _Mera’s_ _back was turned to her as she was going through her wardrobe._ _Ziva_ _could see she was tense,_ _Mera’s_ _hands were pulling and pushing dresses like they personally offended her. At the end, she groaned loudly and turned around, only then she realized_ _Ziva_ _was here despite Ean announcing her arrival just minutes ago._  

 _Ziva_ _watched_ _Mera’s_ _eyes widen with surprise when she saw her standing in the middle of the room._  

 _“When Ean said Orm sent a personal guard... I wasn’t expecting you,_ _Ziva_ _.” Brown haired woman couldn’t understand the reason behind_ _Mera’s_ _strange expression._  

 _“As one of my King’s most trusted guards, I am to escort you, Princess. King Orm wanted to make sure you get the best security.”_ _Mera_ _has always been warm and friendly, that’s why_ _Ziva_ _thought this job could be easy. Of course, they weren’t close, she was a guard and_ _Mera_ _was a princess, they barely talked more than two words before. But_ _Ziva_ _was sure she would feel comfortable around_ _Mera_ _. Now that the Princess was throwing her those strange looks, she knew she was wrong._  

 _“It’s only for two days.” Ean announced as she displayed 3 different dresses to_ _Mera_ _who didn’t even take a proper look at them before shaking her head. Ean sighed loudly. “When the engagement is announced here, we will go back to_ _Xebel_ _.”_  

 _Ziva_ _turned her eyes to the Princess with curiosity._  

 _“Princess, I didn’t know you were getting married.”_ _Mera_ _almost looked embarrassed, her cheeks darkened as she turned her eyes away from_ _Ziva_ _like she couldn’t look at the other woman._ _Ziva_ _was surprised by her strange reaction but maybe it was normal. Marrying someone you didn’t love was normal between royal families. It was their duty. Knowing_ _Mera’s_ _good heart,_ _Ziva_ _only hoped that whoever she was getting married to was a good person._  

 _“Didn’t King Orm tell you?” Ean stopped next to her, dark eyes meeting_ _Ziva’s_ _purple ones, arms full of dresses that_ _Mera_ _rejected. “He proposed to Princess_ _Mera_ _.”_ _Ziva_ _almost could see a smirk on Ean’s lips. “She will be your new queen.”_  

 _Ziva’s_ _heart skipped a beat, eyes turning from Ean who was leaving the room to get more clothes to the princess. Dresses for engagement party. Next two days... There was no lump in her throat that made her feel like a surface dweller who was drowning in the water. Her brain was working non-stop, she was questioning why Orm didn’t tell her himself, was he actually not aware of her feelings? Was he blind? Or did he not care? Clearly,_ _Mera_ _could see_ _Ziva’s_ _broken heart because she actually looked guilty and embarrassed as they stood in front of each other._  

 _Ziva’s_ _hands clenched into fists by her side._  

 _She was used to burying her feelings deep inside. She could handle this situation, too, no matter how terrible it made her feel to receive this information while she was standing in front of the princess. Soon-to-be queen._  

 _“I will protect my future queen with my life, Princess. No harm will come to you, I assure you. I will serve you like I serve my King.”_ _Ziva_ _hated the pitying look on_ _Mera’s_ _beautiful face. That wasn’t what she needed at this moment._ _Mera_ _swam closer to her, hand reaching forward without touching her._  

 _“Orm and I... it’s our duty.” Her unique red hair moved around as she shook her head slightly. “It’s not what you think,_ _Ziva_ _. It wasn’t our decision. We don’t love each other.”_ _Ziva_ _finally managed to lift her head and look into the eyes of the princess._  

 _“I know you are trying to make me feel better, Princess. But you got me wrong. That’s exactly why... this hurts me.”_ _Mera’s_ _guilty expression broke into a surprised one. “I would feel better if you loved him. I believe that’s what he needs.”_  

 

 

Mera’s back was turned to the grand door of the throne room as she looked through the thick window thoughtfully. She was worried about Arthur. He didn’t look like himself when he left with Men of War. She could feel his pain, he wasn’t used to giving orders or receiving bad news. Most of his life, he was just a man. Not a king nor a prince. It broke something inside him in a way that reminded her of his father or Orm. The kingship shaped them slowly, over time, they learned to bury their feelings deep inside. And Mera never wished this upon Arthur. He was so kind, sweet and caring... he wasn’t like Orm or Nereus. He would never be. She believed this with her whole heart. 

The doors opened loudly as 5 guards alongside with Elder Leot swam inside. Mera turned around to frown at their strange behaviour, it wasn’t like Elder Leot to barge into the throne room like this, he was a well-educated, wise man.  

“What is the meaning of this?” She wasn’t in a good mood due to what happened hours ago, she wasn’t going to tolerate their rudeness or lack of respect. But instead of bowing or apologizing, Elder Leot made a hand gesture and with his signal, guards raised their weapons toward Mera. Her green eyes widened. “What do you think you are doing?!” 

“Please stop yelling, Princess.” Leot answered calmly like he didn’t order his men to point their guns at the fiancée of their King. “We are doing what is necessary.” Mera squinted her eyes at the older man. “We are taking back our kingdom from cursed witches like yourself and a half-breed king who doesn’t know what he is doing.” 

“Is this what you call treason now?” She hissed at him. “Arthur won the throne fair and square.” 

“Did he now?” He threw her an insulting smile. “He didn’t only lose the duel against his highborn brother but he also cheated and ran away with you by disrespecting the Atlantean traditions. May I also remind you, Princess, that King Orm never yielded the throne? Your fiancé just barged into and claimed the throne. I must admit, I am disappointed by Vulko’s lack of professionalism in this aspect. He should have known Arthur was supposed to kill King Orm or force him to yield the throne if he wanted Atlantis to bow down to the half-breed.” 

“You won’t get away with this, Leot.” Mera’s hands clenched into fists with anger. “When Arthur comes back—” 

“He won’t.” Leot’s eyes shone with something that sent chills down Mera’s spine. “Your fiancé is dead, your Royal Highness.” He said the title mockingly. “He walked right into the trap like the idiot he was.” Mera’s hands shook with fury as her eyes blurred with tears. “His body is probably lying at the bottom of the deep ocean, feeding the Trench.” 

“NO!” Mera raised her hands before any of the guards could react and hard water spikes cut through their hearts before their fingers could touch the trigger. “You are lying, you disgusting—” Another guard was faster, darted away before any of the spikes could hit him and raised his gun to shot at her, only to yell in pain as his hand started bleeding, thick blood surrounding him as he clutched the injured hand with a pitiful whine.  

Mera and Leot’s heads turned to the left, where the shot came from. 

“Stay away from her!” Ziva turned her weapon to Leot, finger lingering on the trigger.  

“Lady Ziva.” 

“Are you mad, Leot? She’s the Princess of Xebel. Do you want to bring the war at our doorstep in a moment like this?” 

“Oh, darling. We will bring war to theirs.” Leot’s hand reached for the fallen guard's weapon carefully, without taking his eyes off Ziva. “They will pay for the cowardice they showed in the battle against Brine [2].”  

Before he could fire at her, Ziva shot him in the chest, Leot clutched his chest with an angry yell. Ziva didn’t even take another look at him as she quickly swam toward the Princess. 

“Your Highness! You must leave, quickly.” Mera’s wide eyes were on Leot, she was still processing what he said to her. She refused to believe him. Arthur couldn’t be dead. Only when Ziva touched her shoulder that she realized what was going on around her. “You have to find your most trustworthy guards and go back to Xebel. This place isn’t safe for you anymore!” 

“What about you?” Ziva’s eyes hardened. 

“I live to serve the throne. I have... another thing to do before I can regroup my team and go after Corum Rath.” Her eyes softened as she looked into Mera’s eyes. “But I promise you, I will make sure you get out of this kingdom alive, your Highness.”  When Mera said nothing, Ziva assumed she was still in shock. She looked at Mera with worry written all over face but there was nothing she could do at this moment. She had a duty. 

When she made a move to leave, Mera grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes with determination. 

“Be careful, Lady Ziva.” 

“You too, Princess.” 

They swam to the different directions. As Mera stood in front of the throne room’s doors, she felt like she was waking up from a nightmare to find out that her life was a living nightmare right now. At least she had time to clear her mind. Guards weren’t around, the entire city was in panic as probably Rath’s men were coming for them. Her hands clenched into fists as she swam toward the opposite direction. 

“I have something else to do, as well.” 

 

 

 **SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO THE NINTH**  

 

Arthur’s eyes traced the darkness in front him to find something or someone waiting for them. He wasn’t stupid, he knew Corum Rath must know they were coming for him at this point. There was no way any king would allow him to get away with an attack like that on his people. His hands tightened around Atlan’s trident as he remembered what they did to his people.  

Now he could understand Orm better. There was a time when he hated every single one of Atlantean. He hated them with a burning passion for not stopping his mother’s execution. He imagined them cheering for it. In his young eyes, they were all evil. So, why did he not empathize with Orm better? Of course, he would never go around declaring war or killing Atlanteans yet he could understand his motives better. 

He sighed and wanted to turn around to ask Murk to show the way as his men were searching the underwater caves around them. But something powerful, something that left him breathless, hit him from behind. His body hit one of the cave’s outer wall without his control, breaking huge pieces as he fell further down. His trident slipped from his hand as he hit another wall with a grunt, finally reaching up to grab something, anything to slow down his fall. He stayed like this for a moment, breathing heavily. His armour mostly protected him from whatever attack hit him, but he had to get his trident back as quickly as possible before Rath’s men could attack him again. He let go of the bump he grabbed to slow down his fall, floating lazily for a second, and turned around to alert Murk, only to find something piercing through his armour like a knife through the butter.  

Arthur yelled in pain, hands going to his abdomen, he forced himself to open his eyes and came face to face with his attacker. 

“M... Murk?” 

Leader of the Men of War was holding Atlan’s trident in a strong grip, pushing it through Arthur’s abdomen with a grim expression on his partly covered face. Arthur’s eyes widened as he realized that what was attacking him wasn’t one of Rath’s men. It was one of his guards. One that he trusted despite knowing that he was loyal to his brother. 

“This doesn’t bring me any joy, Arthur.” Murk said strongly as he pulled the trident back by putting his foot on Arthur’s thigh. Arthur tried to reach up with shaky hands to grab his trident but Murk pushed away his hands without an effort and raised the trident above his head, ready to strike down. “I am doing this for the greater good. I am doing this for all of us.”  

 

 

“We have been hiding in the shadows for so long.” Commander Urcell watched Corum Rath place his helmet over his head as they were waiting in front of the grand gates of Atlantis for his command. “We lived under their boots for centuries. Tirelessly working for a piece of food. My father died from exhaustion as they lived in luxury. But no more, my friends. Today, we take what’s rightfully ours. Our time has come! And we will show no mercy, no guilt as they never showed us. Because we know we are right. We’ve been suffering for so long and it’s time to stand up against the turmoil this half-breed king brought upon us! He is not our king, he is the king of the surface. Those evil creatures that are killing our kind slowly and painfully!” His followers cheered passionately, that brought a satisfied smile on Corum’s face. He continued with the same passion.   

“Only one man among them dared to do what must be done. And they locked him inside like a lowlife criminal!” 

“It’s time for us to pay a visit to...  _the Ocean Master_.” 

 

 

Murk was standing behind them quietly, Corum Rath’s eyes found him as he finished his speech and gestured him to come closer. The Deluge members pulled away to let him pass, clearing his path to their leader. Rath’s eyes went to Murk’s bloodied hand that was holding the Dead King’s Scepter [3].  His smirk grew wider. Everything was going as he planned.  

As they stood in front of each other, Murk extended his hand forward, eyes shining with a strong hatred that didn’t faze Corum Rath at all, ancient trident slowly fell into Rath’s open hands.  

“Ah, Dead King’s trident.” Corum Rath held the golden shaft covered with ancient Atlantean language between his tightly closed hand, soaking in the power that was coming off the trident. He left the others behind as he stood in front of the gates of Atlantis’s utmost level. He raised his hand that was holding the trident toward the surface. 

“RISE, YOU PITIFUL CREATURES AND FOLLOW ME TO THE FEAST AND VICTORY!” 

Murk couldn’t help but swam closer to the Rath for protection in a moment of fear as he watched Trench [4] slowly crawling up toward the upper levels with wide eyes while the other men watched the cursed creatures with a small smile on his lips. 

“Today, no one will stand in our way.” 

 

 

The window was too thick to hear anything probably but knowing this kingdom like the back of his hand, Orm could feel something was wrong. There was unusual activity and mobility in the city that was lying under his cell. He pressed his palms against the glass and leaned closer to see what was going on. But one of the things about his cell was that it was placed at the highest level of the prison and despite his enhanced vision, he could barely see his people swimming around in panic. 

He sighed annoyedly. It was all Arthur’s fault. He was the one who locked him up here. Orm would prefer to die. There was no way he could do anything about what was going on down there. He was powerless. Useless.  

He punched the window angrily despite knowing that his strength would be ineffective against it. He closed his eyes frustratedly and pressed his forehead against the window. He screamed for guards, asking what was happening several times but no one answered his calls. He knew they were gone. Despite being a prisoner, guards still respected him and if they were still here, they would answer to his call.  

This meant one thing. 

Something terrible was happening. 

He turned toward the door, knowing it would be useless, he still wanted to scream for guards, ask for someone to explain him what was going on. As Orm approached the door he heard a strange sound coming from the other side of the door. He frowned and swam further away from it. Whatever was coming, Orm was ready to fight it. 

He only had a second to cover his face with his arms before the door blew up.  

He pulled his arms away from his face, eyes opening as a foot pushed away the debris that was left from blown up door. Orm frowned as he noticed the green scaled suit, slowly looking up to meet Mera’s distressed face. What was more surprising than seeing Mera blow up his cell door was the object in her hand.  

The silver trident was almost mocking him.  

 “Orm.” Blond man eyed her distrustfully. He had absolutely no reason to trust the redhead after what happened. But a part of him was curious, why was Mera here and not with Arthur? Why did she bring him this trident? 

“Mera.” 

“Leot betrayed us. Corum Rath is leading his men to the Royal Palace.”  Orm’s eyes widened, not hiding his shock. He knew Rath was a fearless man but he didn’t imagine he could dare to come to Atlantis while Arthur was wielding Atlan’s trident. “I know you are angry but... Arthur is your brother and we were friends once. This is your kingdom.” Mera surprised him even more, extending her hand between them, offering him his old trident. Neron’s trident. As Orm took his eyes away from the trident and looked at her, her face hardened with determination. “Please... will you stand with me?” 

 

 

She wasn’t fast enough. 

She was never fast enough. 

When they were kids, long before Orvax forced his teachings and trainings on Orm, Mera and Orm would race around the palace. Orm would call her slow as he swam past her, young Mera would go to Queen Atlanna with a furious red face. So, what if she was slow, she had other qualities that made up for it. No one in Xebel [5] mastered hydrokinesis like she did.  

As she stood next to Orm in front of the prison gates, facing Corum Rath and an army of the Deluge, she wished she could be faster. If only she could be faster, they would be away from this confrontation. Corum Rath eyed them with his snake-like eyes, Mera would die to punch that satisfied smirk off his face.  

“How fortunate that we came across here.” Corum’s mocking tone sent chills down Mera’s spine. “I was just coming to see the Ocean Master but here he is, waiting to greet me, I hope.” Orm’s only answer was a scoff. Corum didn’t look offended by his Orm’s unusual rudeness. He floated around Mera and Orm thoughtfully. “I am not here to fight, your Highness. Unlike this woman next to you, I always respected you.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes! I admire your dedication to punish the surface world. As they say, great minds think alike.” 

“What do you want from me, Rath?” Mera knew Orm was ready to send her to death once. She knew if she stood between him and his goals, Orm would kill her without a second thought. Their past didn’t mean much to him since he was a duty-driven person. Whatever it was that Rath was going to offer Orm now, it could be end of her.  

“I want your leadership. I want you to stand beside me as we take over other kingdoms. It was your dream, wasn’t it? I offer you the title Ocean Master, truly this time. And in return, I want your support. People either admire you or fear you. If you stand with me, there is nothing we can’t do.” Rath’s eyes met Mera’s and in that moment, she knew what he was going to say. It still felt like a punch in the stomach. “And I will give you the throne of Atlantis freely. It’s your birthright, your Highness.” 

A grim silence fell upon them. 

Corum Rath watched the former king and the man they called Ocean Master with a smirk on his face, well knowing he was about to betray the princess next to him for the throne. Ocean Master was powerful, he was smart and he wouldn’t refuse a deal like this, princess was an idiot to come to him instead of running away with fear. 

But Orm only scoffed at him with disgust written all over his face. He eyed Corum from head to toe in an insulting way that almost wiped away the smirk from Corum’s face. 

“You think I, Orm Marius the first, would ever make a deal with a pitiful creature like you? You are no different than those Trench in my eyes.” His lips curled upward with a devilish smirk. “You are nothing. No one.”  

Mera’s eyes widened as she watched Orm refusing a deal that would give him back the throne. This... this fearless, passionate and idealist man in front of her was the Orm she knew long before he lost himself in his anger and declared war against everyone on his path to the surface. 

Corum Rath’s hand tightened around the Atlan’s trident. 

“I wield your dead brother’s trident, the Dead King’s Scepter. Are you sure this is how you want to talk to me?” 

Orm answered with a smirk and his other hand that wasn’t holding the trident slowly pushed Mera back. Redheaded woman didn’t get it at first, not until Orm floated closer to the Rath. 

“There is something you don’t know about me, Rath.” With a quick movement, he raised his trident holding hand up in the water. “With this trident, I WIELD THE POWERS OF NERON!” 

Rath and his men looked confused for a second but knowing what was going to happen, Mera’s eyes turned upward, just before a lightening came down and struck Orm’s trident. Rath’s eyes widened but before he could swim away, the lightening spread around Orm like arrows came free from a bow and it struck Rath and his men. 

As Rath’s men were writhing with pain and shock, Orm quickly grabbed Mera’s wrist. 

“Come on! We need to go now!” Mera let Orm lead her but she was aware that they were surrounded and their escape wouldn’t be easy. 

With his newfound power, Corum was the first one to recover. 

“A remarkable effort, Prince Orm but useless nonetheless. There is no escape, no matter which powers you have, you can’t take us all down.” And he was right, deep down, Orm knew that, too. But he wasn’t going to go down like coward, begging for mercy or accepting Corum’s offer to save himself. He was the son of Queen Atlanna and Orvax Marius. He was from royal blood of King Atlan. He was no coward. 

Just as he opened his mouth to tell Corum to go to hell, they heard Rath’s men scream from a distance. Their eyes met, noticing both looked as surprised as the other one. Mera turned to her left, hands lifted as she was ready to summon her powers to dodge the upcoming attack. But she saw it first, only a second before Orm. 

“Poseidon's beard, it’s a fucking Tylosaur!” One of the men screamed. Orm’s eyes widened as he noticed what was coming toward them at breakneck speed.  

“Keith? [6]” He whispered, couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. He quickly grabbed Mera’s wrist again as he readied his body to a jump that he made several times since his teenage years. 

“Get back!” Someone else yelled and Corum Rath pushed himself away from them with a furious expression as Tylosaur swam toward them.  

“Come on!” They heard someone yell and when Orm finally looked up, he saw Lady Ziva Riman riding his Tylosaur, hand extended toward them. Orm didn’t think then, he reached forward and as Keith swam past them Ziva grabbed her hand, pulling both of them with herself. Orm used his legs to push himself up, dragging Mera with himself. As soon as they were all on Keith’s back Mera raised her hands to send waves toward Corum Rath and his men, pushing them all backward so they wouldn’t follow them.  

Corum recovered quickly, grabbing the trident he almost dropped when the freaking Tylosaur attacked.  

“Sir, do you want us to go after them?” Corum shook his head but his face was shadowed with anger. 

“No. Today is for victory. We take the throne and set the rules. After that, they will come to us. Then we will crush them like insects.” 

 

 

Commander Urcell stood next to the throne like a dutiful soldier as Corum leaned down to take the delicate crown that fell from its case during the fight between guards and the Deluge. It was a delicate thing, almost pretty. It felt strange between his callous hands. These hands belonged to proletariat. They weren’t soft like a king’s.  

“I was wrong about Orm Marius. He is as blind and weak as the rest of his family.” It sounded more like the words of a disappointed father than an angry man’s. “I promise you, I will not be weak like my predecessors. Today, the restoration of our nation begins.”  He placed the crown on his head and stood in front of the throne. His followers were watching him patiently as Corum sat on the throne. “Atlantis will become the greatest nation on this planet as it was once.” 

Commander Urcell raised her sword in the water and shouted then.  

**“ALL HAIL TO THE KING RATH!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Widowhood actually exists in Atlantis. They are widows whose husbands died at war an they help Kings and Queens, including finding a good suitor... that's why she was so smug  
> [2] Nereus in the movie portrayed as a better man than he is in comics, he actually listened to Mera lol Also... he's Mera's fiancé in comics, not father  
> [3] I used Neptune's trident and Dead King's Scepter as one.. because... reasons  
> [4] That's right, folks, that shit can control Trench though if I remember correctly Arthur's also controlled the Trench in the movie??  
> [5] Unlike movie, in comics, hydrokinesis isn't a superpower, it's a skill that can be learned but Xebel Royal Family keeps it to themselves  
> [6] HAHAHAHA! Okay, P Willy named his Tylo 'Keith' and I couldn't resist it stop judging me
> 
> ALSO:
> 
> [Amazing artwork by Poon for this chapter](https://nropay-gallery.tumblr.com/post/182455871279/with-this-trident-i-wield-the-powers-of-neron)
> 
> Go check out her art, she's so talented omg!!
> 
> Thanks for reading I'm lanthimo on tumblr & twitter


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave up on trying to write a good story long ago *sigh* so here's a shitty update where nothing actually happens dfgdsasdfg  
> no proofread, no language or writing skills rip me and this story

Orm’s eyes were a different shade of blue out of the water. Ziva  **[1]**  had a desire to see them better under the direct evening sunlight where she could categorize every shade, every streak. But for the nonce, his head was bowed down slightly, eyes were focused on the pooling water under his boots, turning the dusty woods a darker shade of brown. There was a slight frown on his face as waterdrops rolled down his cheek to his chin and dripped down, joining the pool on the wooden floor.  Maybe he wasn’t ready to let go. Maybe he knew taking another step, away from his home, away from the ocean, would only double up his shame and failure to save his kingdom from Rath’s wrath.  

Maybe it was this place. Ziva could almost see how stiff his muscles were under the ocean teal and silver suit he was wearing at the moment. Mera, next to him, didn’t look any better either. Her long and wet red hair was sticking to her forehead and neck like seagrass. Ziva couldn’t tell if she was crying as they were all soaking wet with salty ocean water but her expression was a mix of tiredness and numbness that usually come after a great devastation.  

Mera, unlike Orm, didn’t look down or behind as her eyes caught the red and white Lighthouse that was lying in front of them. Ziva has never been on the surface like this. She never felt the wind on her skin this way as her hair and suit dried slowly under the direct sunlight. Her eyes turned to the sky, a different shade of blue that she wasn’t used to. A bird flew over them toward the ocean, Ziva’s eyes followed it for a second with great wonder. She felt like a child all over again, allowed to wander around the Royal Palace for the first time. How different it was from the lower parts she was used to? She wanted to touch the grass to feel the texture, wondering how it would feel under her fingers when it wasn’t wet or damp.  

But this wasn’t a school trip nor was a mission.  

“This is the place.” Mera’s voice came out hoarse like words were climbing up through her throat with claws. Before she could take another step forward, they see the door of the house next to the lighthouse open with a loud creak and a woman with long blonde hair stepped outside. Ziva was surprised to see Queen Atlanna like this, dressed up in simple surface clothes, looking all soft and dry like nothing she’s ever seen. Ziva remembered founding a doll in the open sea once, probably a surface dweller child’s toy. Dropped into the sea to be never found again. The texture felt all wrong in her hands under the water, too rough, too stiff. She wondered if it was different on surface since it seemed like this was what they preferred.  

Queen Atlanna’s eyes widened, now that Ziva’s eyes were getting used to the light, her enhanced vision was coming back to her. Queen jumped over the rocks with a smooth movement that was a reminder of, despite looking all cosy, she could still be a deadly warrior when she wanted to. She stopped right at the beginning of the wooden deck.  

 _Orm_ , her lips formed. Said man didn’t move as he looked up at his mother without lifting his head. Ziva took a step back in time as Queen Atlanna ran toward them, wrapping her arms around Prince Orm’s shoulders. It was surprising to see how still Orm stood. He didn’t hug back, he didn’t lift his head. His eyes were focused on some random spot on the deck. Mera looked toward the lighthouse, maybe to give them some privacy or maybe she was so deep in thoughts to acknowledge what was going on around her.  

Finally, Atlanna slowly pulled back. She didn’t seem bothered by the lack of response from Orm. Her hands cupped the blond man’s cheeks like he was still a little boy, Queen’s blue eyes didn’t hide anything. It was an unusual thing in Atlantis, especially between Royal Family. But she didn’t hold back as she poured her love and affection through her eyes. 

“Orm, my son. What... what are you doing here?” When Orm didn’t say anything, only frowning slightly, Atlanna turned to look at Mera with a worried expression on her face. But seeing Mera was still lost in her own mind, she turned to Ziva this time. Young warrior felt uncomfortable then, she didn’t know what to say to the queen, especially when she was looking at Ziva with those question marks in her eyes. She looked at Prince Orm for a moment desperately but he looked as lost as Mera was.  

“We... There has been an attack.” Ziva noticed that her own voice came out in a similar way to Princess Mera’s. Atlanna’s eyes widened as she looked at her son again, probably checking for any injuries. “We are fine but... we...” She gulped helplessly to get rid of this lump in her throat. She could feel tears behind her eyes but she had to be strong in this moment. She had to be strong for the Prince and his family. “We lost the throne.” 

Atlanna’s hands covered her mouth and Ziva felt like she was suffocating under her pained gaze.  

“Oh, no.” Those were the only words escaped her mouth with a whimper as her wide eyes turned to Mera. “Where... where is Arthur? And Vulko?”  

It seemed like mentioning Arthur’s name was the only thing that managed to sober up the Princess. Her wide green eyes shone with awareness again as she finally looked at the queen. Ziva’s hands clenched into fists as she tautly waited for Princess’ answer. 

“Vulko is in Xebel. Arthur... wasn’t with us.” Mera’s voice came out stronger and firmer this time. Her eyes hardened with determination that was the key of her personality. “When the attack happened. He was on a mission. We weren’t together.” 

Ziva’s eyes met the Princess’ for a moment, what Mera was telling her through one look was pretty clear.  _Don’t say anything_. Maybe it was the wise thing to do. Why would they trust Leot’s words anyway? Maybe he was trying to scare the princess or break her will. Without knowing the truth, it would be pointless to tell the Queen that her son was dead. Kind hearted woman suffered enough already, after all.  

Atlanna took a second to gather her thoughts and emotions. It was a habit that came to her with being a queen. Despite closing her eyes, Ziva could see the pain going through her slim yet firm body.  

Ziva dropped on her knees then, feeling the rough surface under her knees. She couldn’t hold back her guilt any longer. 

“I am sorry, your Highness.” Her tears blurred her vision, dust and brown wooden floor merging into one as a smudged image. “I failed you. I failed your family. I failed to protect the throne.” And she knew why. Deep down, she knew she willingly failed. When she first heard the attack and found Leot in the throne room, her first thought was Prince Orm. All she wanted to do was to find him and protect him. She should have gone after Corum Rath. But instead, she found Keith and went to the prison.  

She sacrificed the entire kingdom for one man.  

A man that she loved. 

“Rise, Lady Ziva.” Brown haired woman’s eyes widened as she heard Prince Orm’s voice for the first time since their escape. Even then, he barely gave an instruction and didn’t say anything else. The last time he actually talked to her was before his meeting with King Nereus to convince him to join their cause. Oh, how she missed hearing his voice. No matter how hoarse and tired he sounded. “You didn’t fail anyone today. You saved us. You gave us another chance to save our kingdom.” 

“Orm—” But blond man didn’t stay to hear the rest, he dragged his feet toward the lighthouse. As brown-haired woman’s eyes followed his every step, Atlanna touched Ziva’s shoulder like a loving mother and pulled her to her feet.  

“He’s right. You brought my son to me, that’s all that matters right now.” Then she forced a smile to her face which was also another habit of being a queen. “Come inside, girls. I will make some tea. Tom will be happy to see you.” 

 

When they finally went inside the cosy looking house right next to the lighthouse and gathered around the small square wood kitchen table, Atlanna offered them hot water with some leaves and herbs in it.  Sun has already set, painting the sky a darker shade of blue with thousands of tiny sparkles of light, it felt more like home to Ziva. It was still strange to be on surface, everything, including her own skin and hair, was dry.  

Orm was quiet during the entire time. He stopped at the entrance at first, hands clenched into fists by his side as his eyes drilled a hole on the wooden door. Atlanna, well understanding his discomfort, placed her hand on his back gently and murmured something softly that Ziva couldn’t hear. She put a distance between them to respect their privacy. As they entered the house, Orm’s discomfort didn’t disappear. His sharp eyes were tracing every corner of the room. When the dog came running toward him and sniffed his boots, Orm did nothing but gave it a blank stare, moving past the hairy creature without a second glance.  

This wasn’t Mera’s first time in this house clearly. She moved to the kitchen without needing  Atlanna’s guidance. All three tired bodies dropped on the wooden chairs with a slight creak.  

“How did this happen?” Atlanna finally asked as she poured warm water in the last mug. Mera took a sip from her drink and licked her lips, eyes staring into space.  

“Leot betrayed us.” Ziva said, sniffing the warm liquid in the mug before taking a tentative sip. “He tried to attack Princess Mera with 5 others guards. Who knows how many of them were with him?” She raised her eyes from the mug and looked at the Prince whose eyes were on the table thoughtfully, drink left untouched. “I managed to contact Mina before I freed your Tylosaur, your Highness. She and the rest of the Helvete Squad managed to escape, I believe. But I don’t know where they are at the moment. We didn’t have time to discuss.” 

“They will try to track us down. Don’t turn on any technological device you have until we are sure it’s safe.” Ziva nodded, agreeing with him.  

“Why would Leot betray us after all this time?” Atlanna asked as she leaned against the kitchen isle with her mug in the hand. “He has always been loyal to the throne until now.” 

Mera lifted her head then, eyes burning with so much hatred and grudge as she glared at him.  

“For Orm.” Blond man turned his head to meet her gaze, unfazed by Mera’s fury. “He didn’t betray the throne, he betrayed us. He was one of Orm’s loyalists.” Ziva looked at her mug worriedly. The warm liquid stirred slightly with Mera’s fury and shaking hands. “It’s all his fault.” 

“Mera—” Atlanna tried to calm down the redhead but her son acted faster as he shrugged. 

“It has nothing to do with me. I didn’t tell them to do anything.” Before Atlanna could interrupt them, Mera slapped a hand against the table that almost spilled their drinks. 

“What kind of an arrogant asshole are you?!” Mera leaned toward Orm but the former king didn’t flinch away. He answered Mera’s fury with a calm look but Ziva knew how much anger can lie under Prince Orm’s calm look. “Everything happened because of you! Your selfishness, your thirst for blood, your arrogance... Arthur is—”  Ziva looked alarmed then, but Mera stopped herself before she could say more.  

“You asked me to stand with you and here I am.” Orm eyed her with indifference. “I could be sitting on that throne right now, if I wanted to.” Mera leaned back against her chair and laughed humourlessly.  

“And what? Should we thank you for your generosity? For not being a bigger asshole than you already are?” Atlanna placed her mug on the kitchen isle quickly. 

“Listen—” Their heads turned up at the same time as they heard a creak sound followed by a loud cough. “It must be Tom. He probably woke up.” Mera looked guilty all of a sudden, remembering where they were.  

“I am sorry, Atlanna.” She muttered softly, hands cupping now lukewarm mug. Atlanna squeezed her shoulder lovingly before leaving them alone to check on Tom. 

  

 

Atlanna had no idea what pneumonia was until Tom fell ill one day and Arthur asked her to stay with him, explaining that Tom would need someone with him and Arthur was so deep in work that he could never leave Atlantis, not even for a day. Atlanna was deeply worried at first, her knowledge on the surface world and humans were limited to daily life. She didn’t know much about their illnesses. Tom always felt so soft and fragile under her fingers, it didn’t stop them being equals in their relationship. But it also made her worry about him even though he survived his entire life without her by his side.  

As she entered the room, she didn't close the door after herself to keep an ear on Mera and Orm in case they start arguing again. Even when they were little kids, those two would argue a lot. But this was nothing like their childish fights. So many things happened, so many things have changed since then.  

“I heard voices.” Tom was leaning against the headboard, taking his medicine clearly helped him because he no longer looked so pale and weak. His breathing was better and his voice came out stronger than a week ago. This was enough to bring a small smile on Atlanna’s face in a moment like this. Small happiness. 

“Oh, yes. It’s Mera and... she brought her friends with her.” She filled a glass with water and wrapped her arm around Tom’s shoulder to help him drink it. He often complained about how he wasn’t an old man and he could do it himself but he never understood it was making Atlanna happy. After being away from him for so long, she wanted to do everything with him. She wanted to be with him in every possible way. Bad or good days, as they promised.  

“Arthur?” Atlanna’s hand tightened around the glass unwillingly.  

“No. Not Arthur.” When Tom lifted his head to look up at her, she forced a smile. “Orm and a guard from Atlantis.” Tom raised his eyebrows slightly.  

“Your son?” She nodded. 

“Yes.” 

“I would like to meet him.” Atlanna watched him take a big sip from the water with a worried frown. She knew her son and despite loving Orm, she couldn’t predict his reaction to meeting Tom. It was clear that Orm didn’t want to be here in the first place.  

“It’s—” Tom didn’t notice the slight creak, it was too low, too quiet for his inferior ears. But with Atlanna’s enhanced hearing, she could notice the movement behind them. She looked over her shoulder toward the door. The blond man they were just talking about was standing them, looking at his mother and her human lover with a blank expression. Despite the tension due to this unexpected encounter, she smiled at him sweetly. “Oh, Orm. You are here.” She pulled back from Tom, placing the glass on the nightstand. She turned to Tom who was leaning back against the headboard again. “Meet Tom.” 

Tom looked toward the door then. He heard about Orm a lot. Atlanna kept talking about her younger son since she came back to him. She told him what Orm did and Tom didn’t judge the young man. He could understand him in a way. He spent a lifetime tied to sea, that’s where his destiny always lied. His father was a sea captain, Tom was a lighthouse keeper. He met the love of his life thanks to sea. He wouldn’t understand how it felt to be abused and poisoned by people for centuries but he could sympathize. And Atlanna told him about Orvax, too. This was the part Tom could never forgive or sympathize with. From what Atlanna told him, Orvax was physically and mentally abusing both Atlanna and Orm for years until she was sent to her death. He could only imagine how bad it got after Atlanna was out of picture.  

He didn’t hate Orm for being the child of a man that was forced on Atlanna. He didn’t dislike Orm for declaring war against the surface. He didn’t judge Orm for hating him. 

He just felt sorry for the boy. 

“Hello Orm. I heard a lot about you.” Tom smiled at Orm sweetly and Atlanna knew him good enough to see that his smile was genuine. Atlanna turned her blue eyes to her son with hope to see that Orm would show the same understanding to Tom. But Orm stood still, muscles stiff under the navy-blue t-shirt that she gave him to wear. She could feel the turmoil inside him through his eyes. No matter how good Orm was at hiding his emotions from the rest, Atlanna could read him like an open book. She knew he wasn’t going to accept this peace offering even before he turned around and left without saying anything to Tom or her.  

Atlanna sighed defeatedly. She didn’t know what to do. One of her sons was missing, other one was so deep in his own ambivalence as a result of emotional burnout and years long depression that she couldn’t reach him no matter what she did. Her kingdom was in shambles and a tyrant was sitting on the throne. Her advisor and good friend, Vulko, was far away. She didn’t know how to handle any of these.  

Tom reached forward and grabbed her hand, thumb caressing her smooth skin affectionately.  

“Give him some time. It must be hard for him.” She looked down at his smiling face with tears filled eyes. “Now, why did Arthur not come to see his old man?” 

 

 

It was awkward to sit like this, alone with the Princess whose mind was million miles away. Ziva’s hands drew circles around the mug mindlessly, wondering how could they come back from this. The defeat was almost humiliating this time, Corum Rath mocked them, insulted them, belittled them. Now he was sitting on the throne like a king while Arthur was missing. Their hopes were as dead and small as the little pieces of leaves in her now cold water. 

She was deep in thoughts when she heard footsteps walking down the stairs, she turned her head toward the door, hoping it was the Prince or Queen. She saw Prince Orm came down the stairs and quickly passed the kitchen door. As she leaned forward to look after him, she heard the outer door close with a loud thud.  

Ziva turned her eyes to the Princess Mera. She didn’t seem to hear the sound. Her eyes never left the same spot since Queen Atlanna went to check on Tom Curry. Ziva was a soldier, she was trained to take down men twice her size, she was trained to control her emotions. She was never trained to deal with family dramas or emotional breakdowns. She felt awkward in this situation. She didn’t know what to say or do. 

She felt guilty as she quietly slipped out of the kitchen door even though Mera didn’t care for presence in the room. Ziva doubted she even noticed lack of people in the room. She went outside, wind pushing her brown hair back as it carried salty smell of ocean to her nostrils. She forgot her reason to step outside for a second, eyes turning upward. She studied surface world enough to know about the sky and the stars at night. But knowing and seeing were completely different things. It looked more magical than anything she’s ever seen in Atlantis.  

There was nothing to be seen around. Even with her enhanced vision.  

Her eyes turned toward the sea and that’s when she remembered why she was standing there in the first place. Prince Orm was sitting on one of the rocks. His back was turned to her, facing the sea. She watched him as she made her way toward him slowly. The t-shirt he was wearing looked black in the darkness, stretching across his muscled back as he leaned forward to bury his face in his hands.  

Ziva stood there and watched him for a moment, Orm ran a hand through his hair, messing it in a way that Ziva has never seen before. She has never seen him like this before. Distressful, messy, troubled. 

“Ziva.” She was startled by Orm voice. Of course, he was aware she was here. No matter how distracted or distressed he was, he was a warrior at heart. He was always aware of his surroundings. 

“I... I can leave. I just—” She wasn’t sure how to defend her rudeness, he was having a private moment and she came after him without his permission, watched him. Her cheeks burned with shame and embarrassment.  

“It’s ok.” He said instead. “Sit.” 

She came closer, eyeing the slippery rocks to find a spot that was close enough without making him uncomfortable. She knew that Orm valued his personal space, especially when he was nervous or angry. Finally, she settled next to him, it was a strange feeling, after all this time, knowing that she could reach forward and touch him. There were no barriers, no walls, no judicial system, no crown between them.  

They were just two people, running away from a war that took over their home, soaking in their disappointment, frustration and guilt.  

She focused on him instead. His profile was illuminated by the silver moonlight and it was nothing like she’s ever seen. Ziva loved her king for his kindness that most failed to see, it was buried deep under his duty-driven personality, his fear of weakness. But she always thought he was an exceptionally handsome man. There was something dazzling about the coldness of his blue eyes, his golden hair. Now it looked silver than golden under the moonlight. His blue eyes were dark as they focused on the sea lying in front of them, biting his full lower lip thoughtfully.  

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Orm let out a humourless chuckle that sent chills down Ziva’s spine. She was swimming in a dangerous territory. She wasn’t supposed to be looking at him like that or thinking of him this way. 

She lowered her gaze to break the spell. 

“What is it, your Highness?” 

“In Atlantis, kids have nightmares of Kraken.” She frowned slightly at the bitterness of his voice. Whatever he meant was clearly giving him pain. Orm always had a bad habit of turning bitter and cruel when he was hurting. A desire to hurt back. “For me, this man was the monster in my dreams.” Ziva’s brown hair brushed against her cheeks as wind carried salty smell of sea, reminding her of their home. A home that they had to abandon. A home that was suffering now. “I have been afraid of him for so long... worrying each night that my mother would leave us for him. Because deep down I know she didn’t love my father. And I always wondered... did she see him every time she looked at me? Did I remind her a life, a marriage that was forced on her?” 

Orm shook his head frustratedly, pressing his long fingers against his eyelids with annoyance. 

“But now that I am seeing him. Like this... Humans are so fragile. How did I let him hurt me for so long?” Ziva looked up at him under her lashes. They have never been close despite knowing each other for years. It was true that she loved him and he was always nice to her but there were thick walls between them. He was the king, she was an elite guard. He was cold and distant and their interactions were always limited to respectful small talks at best. But in this moment, they were closer than ever. And he was opening his heart to her, so, she assumed it was a sign that she could speak freely. 

“Was he the one who hurt you?” Orm turned his head toward her, surprised by her soft voice. “Or is it safer to think this way when it was actually your own father?” 

She expected his anger but it never came. Orm stayed silent instead. It was a well-known fact that mentioning King Orvax around was never a good idea. It was hard to understand since Orm always accepted that Orvax wasn’t a good king and he was even a worse father. 

This time, he didn’t get angry. He didn’t yell, he didn’t tell her to go away.  

He just sighed with frustration. He eyed his empty hands with a frown on his pretty face.  

“Arthur got everything he wanted. He has everything.”  _Our mother. His father._ _Mera_ _. Our kingdom. A life._  His hand clenched into a fist on his thigh. “I have nothing.” He muttered bitterly. 

“His dead body might be lying at the bottom of the ocean, maybe he wasn’t that lucky either.” Maybe at this point, she was forcing her luck but Orm was so different tonight. He turned to look at her again with tired eyes. She has never seen him show so many emotions in one day. 

“What happened to... my brother?” Ziva took a deep breath, air filling her lungs was still a strange feeling to her. It was her turn to run a hand through her hair with frustration. 

“We don’t know the details. Leot said he is dead but... how can we trust his words? Maybe it was his wishful thinking, maybe he was trying to break the Princess.” She turned her prying eyes to him, she didn’t want to believe, she didn’t want to assume. But she needed to know. “Murk was with him.” 

Orm Marius was a smart man, he always has been. He wouldn’t be able to control an entire kingdom since he was 15 if he wasn’t. Of course, he understood the meaning behind her words, frowning almost offendedly.  

“I didn’t do it, Ziva.” He answered honestly. “I didn’t plan any of this.” 

“I believe you.” She whispered back. 

“If things were different... if we were different, I could love him. Maybe, in my own way, I already do.” Ziva spent years watching Orm Marius from afar, she could see the newfound uneasiness, sadness and maybe even guilt buried under that frown on his face. “The possibility of his death brings no joy to me.” His eyes widened slightly with a new realisation. “It makes me feel hollow inside.” Ziva watched helplessly as he buried his face in his hands. “How did everything go so wrong? Is it really my fault?” 

“You were doing what you thought was right.” He lifted his head, eyes meeting Ziva’s like a lifeline. Like whatever she was going to say meant everything to him. 

“And was it? Right?” One of the reasons, apart from her loyalty, that made Orm trust Lady Ziva was her honesty. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, even around him. And Ziva hated the idea of lying to him. 

“I think none of us can know that.” It was not a rejection. She didn’t mean him to take it that way. “But I believed in you.” She smiled at him softly. “I still do.” 

“It seems like you are the only one.” She got to her feet slowly, Orm lifted his head to look at her. She didn’t think her opinions meant so much to her. But she wanted him to know how she felt. At least on this subject. 

“I will always believe in you, your Highness.” 

Ziva turned around to leave, believing that it was all there was to say. But she wasn’t expecting Prince Orm to reach forward and grab her wrist before she could leave. She looked down at his hand on her wrist with wide eyes. It’s been so long since he touched her. And despite holding his hand for a second while saving him and Mera from Corum Rath, she didn’t actually have time to enjoy his touch. 

Now, though, she had time. 

“Ziva.” She looked up at him, her purple eyes meeting Orm’s blue ones. “Why... why didn’t you visit me?” She felt vulnerable, wanted to pull her hand away and turn her back to him so he wouldn’t see her face. 

“I... I didn’t think you would want to see me.” She turned her gaze away from Prince Orm, not willing to witness his disappointment or anger. 

“Are you blind?” Her eyes widened with his sudden question that she wasn’t expecting to hear. Anger? Probably. Disappointment? Maybe. But this... 

“Excuse me?” He let go of her wrist, only to cup her fac with his delicate fingers, pulling her face closer to his.  

“Did you truly never see the way my heart burned with yearning every time I looked at you? Wanting to touch you but knowing it would be inappropriate... How much I wanted you despite knowing that I couldn’t have you?” 

“My... prince?” Her voice wavered with too many emotions including shock, heart bursting hope and longing. She never dared to dream.  

“I want just one thing, Ziva.” He whispered. “Tell me... do you return my feelings?” Her hands reached up without her awareness and grabbed Orm’s wrists, holding him tightly like she never dared to. 

“My Prince... I would lay down my life for you. I always loved you from afar, never daring to dream you would touch me like this one day.” Orm sighed softly as he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Ziva’s, relieved to hear that he didn’t get it all wrong. He was not stupid. He knew the way she looked at him, eyes burning with something much stronger than simple respect or admiration. But he couldn’t do anything about it for all those years. He was meant to marry Mera, a loveless marriage for the sake of their kingdoms. He was a king, he had no right to hold one of his knights or guards like this. But now standing here, he was nothing. He was no king. No Atlantean. No royalty. No prisoner. No war criminal. 

And he never imagined this thought to be so freeing. 

He never though he would enjoy being  _nothing_.  

He was always destined to be something, meant to be someone.  

But maybe, this time, he could choose to be whoever he wanted to be. 

He slowly opened his eyes, looking at the woman in front of him, eyes closed as she waited for him to say something, do something. He smiled softly before leaning down to press his lips against hers. She moaned softly, she was longing for this for so long. She buried her hands in his golden hair, pulling him closer as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

In that moment, he knew.  

He was ready to risk it all for her.  

 

 

Ziva has seen wonders underwater, she saw ruins of the ancient city, she came close to lost cities and treasures. But nothing could compare to this moment, kissing the love of her life under the moonlight as they stood on rocks by the seaside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] In comics, Atlanteans can usually breath on surface world, they don’t have to be royalty, though this time is limited and they need water. So, despite not being a mere Idylist, Ziva can breath on surface without a problem
> 
> [beautiful artwork of ziva & orm by nropay](https://nropay-gallery.tumblr.com/post/182529401344/orm-sighed-softly-as-he-closed-his-eyes-and)
> 
> I'm lanthimo on tumblr & twitter


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably realized my writing is pretty bland and sloppy since the third chapter... it's because I was going to give up on this BUT I hate leaving my fics unfinished and also Poon & Gabs always motivate me, I owe them to finish this.
> 
> I still love this idea though. 
> 
> Warning: I am silly and I only self-studied English for a couple of years, my language skills are pretty weak, as you can see, and the lack of proofread is going to hurt your eyes and mind lol

**TWO MONTHS AFTER CORUM RATH TOOK OVER THE THRONE OF ATLANTIS**

During her time on the surface, Mera learned to accept some things that couldn’t be changed no matter what. One of them was the headache alongside with her throat burning with dryness every morning. Morning ‘deprivation’ was the worst. She would often wake up in the middle of the night with desperation to find some water. No matter how many bottles of water she brought to Arthur’s old bedroom, it was never enough. Atlanna promised that you get used to it after a while. Mera couldn’t imagine it to be true. There was a time when she forgot to bring a bottle to her room and she was too tired, too depressed to go down to the kitchen, so, she thought ‘why not’ and tried to drink the tap water from bathroom. Atlanteans have more delicate and oversensitive taste buds when it comes to water. It felt foul in her mouth, truly disgusting.  No time on surface could make the weird taste of their water or morning deprivation easier. 

Another thing she learned to accept was the fact that she would wake up to Orm’s voice every morning. And knowing Orm, it was nothing sweet or hopeful like ‘good morning, Mera’, ‘Arthur is back, Mera’. No, it was him, always but  _always_ , yelling. 

Mera groaned and buried her face into the pillow, no longer smelling like Arthur. Orm’s agitation could be justified by their lack of action and progress but it still annoyed Mera to no end. Was Orm thinking he was the only one who wanted to take action? Mera wanted nothing more than to find Arthur and bring him home. 

But how?

All she could think of was going back to Xebel to ask for help but with Orm on her side, her father would never help them. And the Deluge was no threat to the Xebel so far. Their only interest was reshaping Atlantis and cutting their ties with the surface world. There was no way anyone else would know about the fusion bombs that Ziva mentioned. They couldn’t go anywhere near Atlantis to find Arthur. Ziva failed to reach her team so far. 

They were hopeless. 

Mera rolled out of the bed, her hair was a mess on the surface. It was dry, matted and tangled. She was too tired and annoyed to care, she ran a hand through her wild red curls as she made her way downstairs.

“That’s our only option!”  

Orm was standing in front of the kitchen window, his blond hair was falling into his eyes. It was longer than ever now. Orm usually preferred keeping his hair short, this way, it was more comfortable to wear a helmet and it matched his personality. Before any of this, Mera couldn’t imagine Orm with longer hair, it would ruin his ‘dead serious’ wannabe king image, adding ethereal beauty to his sharp features. But now, he was just too proud to ask for help and it was matching his depressed, anxious personality lately. 

“That’s too dangerous.” Atlanna’s eyes met the same shade of blues with determination. Orm ran a hand through his hair restlessly. Mera leaned against the door frame, watching Atlanna and Orm argue for the millionth time. Ziva was sitting at the kitchen table quietly, even she was tired of this argument. She showed no effort to join them.

“Atlantis is in danger!” Orm stood in front of his mother, looking into her eyes like he was desperate to make her understand. “I must go back and challenge Corum Rath for the throne.”

“And you think he is going to accept that?” Mera finally spoke. Both Atlanna and Orm turned to look at her. Atlanna was surprised to see her while Orm was looking annoyed at best. “His followers will kill you long before you can reach the throne room.” 

Orm walked toward the door and faced Mera. Their relationship didn’t improve during these two months. Orm was usually avoiding her, but then again, Orm was avoiding everyone. He was back to his depressed self from his teenage years and back then, Mera wanted to help him. She felt terrible knowing that his father was an unloving, abusive asshole and his mother was literally sent to her death by him. But now, she couldn’t care less. She was lost in her own dark thoughts. 

“We can’t just sit here! I am tired of it. I am tired of doing nothing but accepting the defeat!” He didn’t wait for Mera or someone else to say anything, leaving the room furiously. 

“Orm!” Atlanna extended a hand forward like she could stop him but he was gone long before his name left his mother’s mouth. Former queen leaned against the kitchen isle, pressing her fingers against her eyelids tiredly. “I don’t know what to do anymore. He is not doing well. I can see it. But I can’t reach him.”

Mera walked into the room, taking a glass of water for herself and sat opposite Ziva. She took a huge sip from the refreshing drink, eyes never leaving Ziva’s face. Her purple eyes were looking at a spot on the table absent-mindedly.

“Did he talk to you?” Mera asked at the end. It took Ziva a moment to realize that Mera was talking to her. Ziva’s eyes widened slightly, fidgeting in her chair.

“Why... why would he?” Mera raised an eyebrow. 

“I saw him kissing you. That night. Through the window.” If Mera wasn’t so tired and drained, she would find Ziva’s reddened cheeks funny and she would definitely tease her. Ziva’s eyes turned to the blonde woman.

“My Queen, it’s not what you think!” Atlanna smiled at her instead.

“Ziva, it’s between you and Orm. It’s none of our business.” Her smile faded into a frown. “However, I am worried. Did he say anything to you?” It was hard to see Atlanna with so much worry written all over her face. Despite everything she’s been through, she has always been a loving, warm and positive person. She didn’t deserve any of this. “I am just... so scared.” She took in a shaky breath. “I am afraid that one day I will wake up and he would be gone. I will lose both of my sons.”

“Your Highness...” Ziva muttered, she really wanted to help the queen but she didn’t know how to. She couldn’t give her what she wanted. “I— It’s really not what you think.”

_Orm broke the kiss and pulled back slightly but he didn’t let go of her, hands still placed on her back, spreading warmth through the thin material of her shirt._ _Ziva_ _opened her eyes but she couldn’t look up at him, her eyes were on his chin and lips as she was slightly shorter than him. One of his hands reached up, pushing her hair off of her face._

_“I...” He muttered, his warm breath hitting her forehead. “Right now, I can’t give you anything.”_

_Her hands tightened around his shoulders_ _unintentionally._

_“I don’t expect anything.” Orm sighed softly, letting his hands drop to his sides. He took a step back and_ _Ziva_ _wanted to reach forward desperately, she was still not that comfortable around him, so, her hands balled into fists by her sides to control her desire to grab him._

_“I am...”_ _Ziva_ _finally looked up at him, Orm was frowning like he was looking for the right words and couldn’t find them. “I don’t know what I am doing.” He admitted finally. “I don’t know who I am. What I will do or where I will go.” He took in a shaky breath. “It feels like I am stuck in between. All I have is my trident. I have no army, no brother, no father to back me up. And I have a kingdom to save.” He slowly lifted his hand, touching_ _Ziva’s_ _chin gently. “I can’t do this right now.”_

_“Then why did you kiss me?” She whispered without any accusation._

_“I just... I wanted you to know.” His thumb caressed her lower lip. “When this is all over, if I am still alive... if we are okay, then maybe... we can....”_

_“I understand.” She muttered, finally gathering her courage to lift her hand and grab his wrist as she looked into his eyes. “I understand you feel like you still have a duty to_ _wards_ _your_ _kingdom_ _.” She smiled softly. “And that’s okay. Do whatever you feel like you need to do. And after that, I will be waiting.”_

_A ghost of a smile appeared on his face then._

_“Remember where to find me,_ _Ziva_ _.”_

_She frowned then, not understanding what he meant. She wanted to ask but before she could say anything, he pressed his lips against hers for one last time._

“He doesn’t talk to me either.” Ziva hated the heartbroken look on Atlanna’s face. She hated disappointing the older woman. “All he says is he wants to go back to Atlantis.”

“We can’t let him.” Atlanna said with a newfound determination. “Ziva, have you managed to contact to your team?” 

When he was 17, Arthur would throw temper tantrums. He didn’t mean to upset his father, make him feel bad or anything. He was just a lost boy, not knowing his place in the society, missing his mother and blaming himself for her death. Tom didn’t know how to reach him then. He was scared Arthur would go down a path that he couldn’t return. But Arthur had his mother’s big heart and his father’s kindness. He was a good kid. He’s always been.

Now walking toward the blond man sitting on the rock, he was lost again. This man was no teenager, he wasn’t throwing temper tantrums. He was a dangerous young man who could kill him so easily. Yet, it still felt the same. He was lost, like Arthur was. Not knowing his place in this world.  Tom could see how worried Atlanna was and he wanted to help her. But he was standing here, right beside her son, because he wanted to help Orm. 

“Hello, Orm.” Blond man stiffened as Tom sat on another rock, putting some distance between them. “It’s windy today. Though I am sure it doesn’t bother you.” His eyes wandered around, admiring the way sun was shining on the clear ocean. How could something so deadly and dangerous be so beautiful? “It’s crazy what you guys can do. It reminds me of my own mortality. How fragile our lives are.”

Orm scoffed. 

“What is this supposed to be?” He said bitterly. “Step-father and step-son bonding?”

“You are not my son.” Tom shrugged, shoving his hands into his coat’s pockets to protect them from biting wind. 

“No. I am not.” To Tom’s surprise, Orm didn’t sound relieved or bitter when he said that. He was simply stating the fact. 

“But,” Tom added, “you are Atlanna’s son and I love her.” He finally turned his head to look at Orm for the first time since he sat next to the blond man. “And I think I can love you, too.”

“I don’t need your pitiful love.” Orm hissed, probably expecting Tom to take a step back and run away in fear. Tom had to deal with Atlantean soldiers destroying his house to kidnap his wife, he watched his son struggle to learn his place in this world, let his son go to a war that could kill him and waited for years to find the love of his life again. He wasn’t going to be afraid of a grumpy young man.

“It seems like you need a lot of love right now.” He said. “At least, some understanding.” 

Orm got to his feet quickly, he pointed a finger at Tom as he leaned forward to meet his eyes. 

“You want to help me? Tell them to let me go, to Atlantis.” Tom didn’t stutter, he didn’t avoid Orm’s gaze. 

“You can.” He said calmly, instead. “We both know they can’t stop you if you really want to leave.”

“I...” Orm was taken back. “I can’t do this to my mother. Not when... Arthur is still missing.” Seeing Tom flinch surprisingly brought no joy to Orm. 

“And it means a lot to your mother. To know that you care.”  Orm threw him an annoyed look and turned around. Tom leaned forward, pressing his elbows against his knees. “What is it like?” He asked softly as they both turned their eyes to the ocean. “Atlantis?”

Orm looked at Tom over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“You spent years with my mother. I am sure she told you about it.”

“When Atlanna speaks of Atlantis... it sounds dark. Like a trap or a cave where there is no escape.” Orm dug his fingers in his palms as he refused to look at Tom. “Her memories are dark, tainted and sad.” Tom’s voice softened. “I would like to hear it from someone who loves it.”

“Atlantis is... home.” Orm muttered, after a moment of thinking. “It’s bright, colourful, passionate, prideful.” Tom always knew he belonged to this place, this was his home and he loved it. His son grew up here, he found the love of his life here. Yet, he never heard anyone speak of their home in a way that Orm did. “It’s all I have.”

“That’s not true.” Orm turned around to face Tom, eyeing him questioningly. “It doesn’t have to be that way.” Tom straightened up and met Orm’s gaze. “If you stop pushing people away—” Orm laughed bitterly, shaking his head but Tom was as stubborn as his son. “I know it wasn’t easy for you but—”

“And what do you know about it? What do you know about losing your mother because she loved the wrong man? What do you know about finding your own father beheaded and suddenly people putting a crown on your head, claiming you their king at 15? Trying to hold together a crumbling kingdom? Getting blamed for your own father’s death? [1] Watching surface dwellers poison your home, your people? Or getting called a blood thirsty maniac for acting desperate to save your kingdom?”

“All this anger, hatred and sadness in you is eating you alive, son.” However, Tom’s fatherly tone had the opposite effect on Orm.

“Oh, shut up!” Orm was already frustrated due to feeling useless and trapped, Tom knew this was his breaking point. “You know nothing!” His eyes were burning with fury as he pointed a finger at Tom. “If it wasn’t for you, maybe my mother would love my father and none of his would happen!”  

Orm took a step back, eyes widened as he realized what he said. 

“You know what he did to your mother.” Tom’s voice, just like his face, softened. “You know what he did to you.”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Orm hissed between his tightly clenched teeth, he took another step backward. “If I am not gutting you here, it’s because my mother cares about you, lowlife surface dweller.”

Tom reached forward, opening his mouth to explain, that maybe he crossed a line that they weren’t ready to but Orm had no intention of listening him. He climbed the rocks with an inhuman speed, not looking behind as he wandered further.

When Commander Urcell entered the throne room, King Rath was talking to his new advisor, Elder Nuan, since Leot was still in critical condition due to being shot in the chest by Lady Ziva. It was a miracle that he was still alive, considering Lady Ziva’s training. The only surviving guard told him that she was distracted by her worry over Princess Mera’s wellbeing. 

He gestured her to wait for a moment, Urcell took liberty to eavesdrop on their conversation. She could barely hear them, since he took the throne, Rath has been more secretive and careful than ever. He didn’t explain his plans to Urcell anymore. He only gave her orders and answered her questions. He didn’t even tell her he sent Reverend Mother Cetea [2] to prison for claiming he wasn’t the rightful heir of the throne until she found out from Murk. 

“Come, Commander Urcell.” Rath said, after sending Nuan away. 

“You’re sending the Drift [3] to South Atlantic [4]? To our home?” The lack of reply was a question itself. “For what?”

“They have been out of monarchy’s reach for far too long.” Rath wide opened his arms like he was embracing the kingdom. “I am going to strengthen our ties.”

“You sent the Drift for that?” Urcell’s hands clenched into fists by her side with anger. She wasn’t an idiot, Rath should have known better than to assume she would be okay with it when he said one or two sweet words to her. “Will you kill everyone who doesn’t bow down to you?”

“They are not like us.” When Rath turned around to face her, Urcell could see the conflict in his eyes. But his face hardened in a manner that reminded her of the difference between them now. They were no longer two comrades fighting for a cause that they believed in. Now, he was the king. They succeeded. “Those who didn’t follow us are bacteriophages. They live under others’ boots for an entire lifetime, never questioning, never fighting back. But even those who complain, hoping things would change, do nothing.” Urcell knew about Rath’s father, he knew about how they worked together for years as Rath watched his father die slowly each day. She knew the hatred buried inside him more than anyone else. “They live like insects, they deserve to die like insects.”

“It’s because they don’t know any better.” Urcell tried to defend. 

“Those who don’t fight for their rights, those who are afraid to stand up against their oppressors, deserve no mercy from us.”

“That’s our home!” She hissed at him, alarming the guards. Rath raised an eyebrow.

“Are you questioning your king’s orders, Commander?” Urcell bit her tongue, eyes never breaking the contact with Rath’s. She was a soldier, but even before that she had to fight to earn a crust. She could be patient, play her cards right. After all, Rath wasn’t the only one who grew up in Ninth. 

“I would never, your Highness.”

“Oh my God, he is waking up!” was the first thing he heard before opening his eyes. His head was throbbing with a blinding pain, throat dry like sandpaper and hurting every time he tried to gulp. His entire torso was burning in a way that made him feel sick. His body was heavy against the soft material of a couch, he assumed. As his mind was clearing from the stupefacient mist, he forced himself to open his eyes but it was no simple task. He could feel warm sunshine on his face, assuring him on his safety. He was on the land, far away from Atlantis. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything was fine.

He groaned again, putting his entire effort on opening his eyes. 

“Are you alright?” He heard the same soft voice, leaning toward him. His vision was blurry but he could see the outlines of a petite woman with short hair. Sun was shining through window behind her, making it harder to see her face.

“Mera?” He mumbled confusedly. Did Mera find him and bring him to his father’s lighthouse?

“Oh, no, umm... I am Erin.” He blinked, alarmed by a name that he didn’t recognize. His vision came back to him slowly, a petite blonde woman was standing in front of him. Arthur believed she would barely reach his chest if they stood side by side, she had short blonde hair, blue eyes that reminded him of his mother and horn-rimmed glasses.

“Where am I?” He muttered, pushing himself onto his elbows. 

“Holly Beach.”

“How did I come here?” He looked around the cosy little house, there weren’t many family photos but he could see a couple of toys and comic books left on the living room floor, right next to the TV, so, she probably had a kid who was supposed to be at school if his assumption of the time was right.

“I found you at the beach. I saw one man dragging your body to the shore when I was out for running. He dropped your body and jumped back into the water.” She looked terrified, just by the memory of it. Arthur couldn’t blame her, in her world there was no place for underwater civilizations, royal family dramas or coup attempts.  “Are you... him?”

“Him?” Arthur raised an eyebrow. His brain was still clouded despite feeling much better. 

“Aquaman.” She raised her hands like self defence. “I saw them talking about you on TV.”

“You think I am Aquaman and you didn’t call anyone?” He eyed her as she shrugged shyly, not meeting his gaze. 

“I was scared. That they would take you away or hurt you.” Arthur’s teasing expression softened into a much kinder one.

“Thank you... Erin, you are a good person.”

“But I didn’t know what else to do.” She looked worried as she eyed his bandaged torso. “You were gravely injured when I found you. I asked my neighbour to help me. He is a good man, don’t worry.”

“Thank you both.” He nodded as he finally managed to sit up straight. “Do you know anything else?”

“I am sorry, no.”

“It’s okay. Thanks for taking care of me. I can imagine it was no easy task.” His left hand touched the bandages on his torso, the dried blood was clearly nothing new. And despite still being sore and in pain, he didn’t feel like dying which was a huge win considering the day he got this scar. Which led him to another question. What happened? Did Murk drag his body to here so someone could find him? But then why did he attack him in the first place? He said it was for the greater good and Arthur assumed he meant killing Arthur would secure Orm’s claim over the throne, which was the right thing to do by Atlantean laws according to Murk. But Erin mentioned someone dragging his body to the beach. Who could it be, if it wasn’t Murk?

“I was scared you would die and it would be my fault.” Arthur didn’t say anything as he pushed himself to his feet, almost falling on his ass as his shaky legs had difficulty in standing. Erin’s eyes widened when she saw him on his feet. “What are you doing?!”

“I must get back to my people. My fiancée is in danger. My family, my people... I must help them.”

“But you are still injured!” Erin’s open palms didn’t touch her but she stayed close to catch him if he falls. 

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about me.” He smiled down at the blonde woman, assuring her as good as he could in this state. “How long it’s been?”

“Two months.” Arthur almost fell as his eyes widened and he choked on his breath. Erin’s smaller hands wrapped around his biceps to keep him on his feet. 

“TWO MONTHS?!” That was terrible. It was worse than he imagined. He thought it’s been one or two days at best. But he was out for two months. Murk almost managed to kill him and he took Arthur’s trident. Even if Murk was trying to help him by bringing him to the shore, Arthur was still going to kick his ass for putting Atlantis in danger. “Oh, no. Mera...”  She was in charge when he left. So, if it was an attempt to take over the throne, that means they attacked Mera, too. His heart clenched with worry. He couldn’t go back to Atlantis. Not like this. Not when he was injured and his trident was missing. If Mera managed to escape, Arthur knew where she would go. He turned to Erin who looked worried but Arthur had no time to spare for assuring her. “I need a vehicle.” He said, seeing the confused look on her face. “I need to get back to Amnesty Bay, Massachusetts.”

_He hasn’t been in this room since he was a child. Orm made excuses to close this training facility, claiming it needed renovation but for some reason, that renovation was never completed, leaving this room closed for years. Deep down, he knew he buried his darkest memories in this room and hoped putting a heavy lock on it would keep them there for the rest of his life. But here he was, back to being 12 years old._

_Well, he wasn’t 12 anymore. And as he looked down at his hands, he realized those hands definitely didn’t belong to a 12-year-old. But then how was his father standing in front of him, just like he did when he was a kid?_

_“You disappointed me again, son.”_ _Orvax_ _Marius was clad in his usual armour, except he wasn’t wearing his helmet like he would always do in this room. His helmet was in his hand, hanging by his side. Orm realized he was on his knees, kneeling down in front of his father as he always did when he was about to be punished._

_He wanted to open his mouth, tell his father he was sorry but his mouth was filled with salty ocean water and he was choking on it like a surface dweller._

_“You know, Orm, I never told you this but I always thought you would make a great king one day.” He swam closer to his son, Orm flinched with hidden fear. But he had no control over his body. It felt like he was just a puppet and his father_ _was_ _holding the strings. “I saw a lot of myself in you.”_

_Orvax_ _leaned forward, grabbing Orm’s blond locks and pulling his head back. Orm could do nothing but look into his father’s hateful eyes._

_“But a true king can’t afford to have weaknesses. A king must be cruel when it’s necessary. A king must be cold and authoritarian to keep his cool and make his decisions wisely. You cannot be ruled by your emotions, by your mercy or kindness. Atlanteans... You can't let them see you falter, hesitate, break. You can't let your people question you. And no matter what it takes, you have to protect them. That's how you gain their trust and support. Atlantis comes first, even before your family.”_ [5]

_Orvax’s_ _thumb caressed Orm’s skin like a loving father and living without him for years made Orm soft, that’s why he couldn’t see the backhanded slap coming. He didn’t feel anything for a second, then his left started burning with aching pain. His eyes filled with unshed tears and he didn’t dare to look up at his father._

_“Yet... you ran away, like a coward.”_ _Orvax_ _hissed between his teeth. “You abandoned your people, your kingdom to hide behind your mother’s skirt like a little child! You are as worthless and unworthy as your dirt half-breed brother.”_

_“Father...” He choked on his words, throat burning._

_“You are a spineless coward, an idiot who let a lowlife like_ _Rath_ _take his throne, you lost to your half-breed brother, you don’t deserve your title, your position, your whore of a mother—”_

_“SHUT UP!” Orm_ _didnt_ _’ look, his eyes were tightly closed as he grabbed the fallen trident and stick the sharp edges right into_ _Orvax’s_ _stomach with fury. The king choked, no sound coming out of his mouth. Orm slowly opened his eyes, widening with fear as he realized what he’s done. He attacked the king. His own father._

_But_ _Orvax_ _only smiled, hot blood coming out between his closed lips, mixing in the water. Orm let go of the trident shakily and_ _Orvax_ _grinned at him, mouth opening slightly to show reddened teeth._

_“So, you finally have courage to stand up to your own father? Then what is stopping you from challenging_ _Rath_ _?”_

_“I...”_ _Orvax_ _reached forward, his blood covered fingers gently touching Orm’s forehead._

_“I told you, son.” He muttered, looking right into Orm’s widened eyes with a calm expression. “You are a very talented boy, Orm._   _You have great powers. You have the powers of_ _Neron_   _flowing in your veins. You have the power to make thousand kings kneel before you. But it’s your heart that’s weak.”_   

Orm tumbled out of the couch he was sleeping on for the past 2 months. His shaky hands tightened around the blanket as he tried to take deep breaths. Air filled his lungs, a reminder of his failure to secure his kingdom as he was hiding on the surface like a coward. His eyes turned to the right, looking at Ziva who was sleeping on the other couch in the room. Her back was turned to him but Orm felt a burning desire to reach forward and touch her. To feel her warmth, her flesh and bones to remind himself that, this moment is real, not his dream. Ziva was here, not Orvax. Never Orvax. His father, the former king, was dead. He’s been dead for years. He couldn’t hurt or scare Orm anymore. 

He looked at Ziva for a moment, actually considering touching her. But he was a stubborn man who refused to wake the woman up for his own tranquillity. Maybe a part of him feared that she would wake up and start asking questions that he wouldn’t be able to answer.

He pushed the blanket away, running a hand through his hair. He needed water, he was sick of breathing air. He needed to be free of this cage. He needed to be free of this darkness that left him alone with his memories of Orvax. He stood up shakily, placing his hand on the smooth surface of the couch for support as he quietly made his way to the outer door. He looked back over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t wake up Ziva. But she was sound asleep. 

He breathed the salty smell of the ocean as he stepped outside, closing the door behind carefully. He pressed his back against the door, closing his eyes to get rid of the disturbing images in his head. This place wasn’t good for him, it was driving him crazy slowly. And none, not his mother or Ziva, could make this better.

His eyes turned to the left, looking at the old storage room where Tom was keeping his fishing gear. Now his old trident was lying in it next to smelly fishing rod and fish baits. He grimaced with disgust. That trident was the weapon of a king, a deadly weapon that wasn’t supposed to be locked inside with disgusting fish feed. It was an insult to himself and Neron. 

He opened the door, breaking the padlock without an effort.

Here it was, Neron’s trident. Shining under the silver moonlight. His shaky hand reached forward and grabbed the shaft. His eyes fluttered closed as he felt the power in him responding to the ancient magic hidden inside the silver trident. 

_“You ran away like a coward. You are worthless.”_

Orm’s hand tightened around it, face hardening with determination. He has never been a coward, not even when he was facing Orvax Marius himself. He was the one who brought all kingdoms together, if it wasn’t for his damn brother. He was the one who was brave enough to declare war against the surface, to put an end to their centuries long suffering. He was the one who challenged a man who was wielding Atlan’s golden trident. He made Atlantis wealthy and advanced, he commanded biggest and the most powerful army in the world. 

He was the  _Ocean Master_. 

And this title was his, only his no matter what. 

He did things that his father couldn’t even dream of during his short life. Now, he was going to prove his father wrong one more time.

He jumped over the rocks, not bothering to walk down like a normal surface dweller. He was tired of pretending to be something that he wasn’t. He was tired of acting like he wasn’t the Ocean Master, like he didn’t know he had this claim over the title. He was the only one who managed to unite them. He was tired of acting powerless when the storms and the ocean bowed down to his will with this trident.

He stood under the moonlight, waves slowly hitting his bare feet and pulling back. He could feel his tylosaur close by, waiting for him.

He was ready. 

But this time, he was going to bring the wrath of the  _Ocean Master_ to Atlantis. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] In comics, Vulko and others blame Orm for his mother's death which isn't true, Atlanna is alive, she faked her death to run away from Atlantis. So, I changed it a bit, now he's blamed for his father's death.  
> [2] Reverend Mother Cetea is the leader of Widowhood.  
> [3] The Drift is an elite team that take their orders directly from the king.  
> [4] Ninth Tride is closer to the South Atlantic  
> [5] This part is from my other fic, Heirloom, where I explored Arthur and Orm relationship through Orm's childhood  
> [Artwork for Orm's Dream by Poon](https://nropay-gallery.tumblr.com/post/182660826174/orm-slowly-opened-his-eyes-widening-with-fear-as)
> 
> Thanks for reading, I am lanthimo on tumblr and twitter


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *dumping my trash here* Hi!  
> Anyone who reads the comics can tell that I took all those characters from the comics and changed them to fit them into movieverse lol so don't assume that they are in character here....  
> This chapter is like 70% flashbacks sdfgdsdfgh  
> Do I even try anymore? My poor story suffering from my terrible writing and lazy lang skills ugh  
> Also, I hate it when you copy + paste your document to AO3 and it fucks up italic parts uggghh sorry about that I tried to fix most of it but there were so many

_At first glance,_ _Orvax_ _Marius’ personal office was a simple room with_ _golden engravings and dark grey walls. Behind the holoprojector, there was a huge glass wall, Orm often wondered if_ _Orvax_ _enjoyed looking down at the kingdom that was now completely his, knowing that they would always bow down to his will. However, this room had a different meaning to the young boy. This room was off limits unless_ _Orvax_ _was displeased by a public demonstration by Orm or during those rare times when Orm lost a tournament against a_ _Xebel_ _warrior. When that happened, Orm always knew what would come afterward. He would take off his helmet and patiently wait for the guards to escort him to this room, younger ones giving him pitiful looks along the way. But he always kept his head high, never showing any weaknesses to those around him._  

 _Now, in the middle of the same room, he was sitting on his knees, head bowed down, not with shame but with deep buried anger._  

 _Orvax’s_ _back was turned to him, he was looking through the thick glass. Orm eyed him through blond locks that were covering his eyes._  

 _“The time has come for you to learn a lesson, Orm.” Despite the calmness of his voice, Orm knew his father well enough to feel the anger and hatred buried deep inside._ _Orvax_ _Marius wasn’t an ugly man, he had a sharp jawline, bright blue eyes, nose that belonged to an artist’s sculpture and silky dark hair. He was oozing charisma, power and cold beauty. But when Orm looked at him, all he could see a bloody handed murderer._ _A man who sent his mother to her death. There was something dark, something contagiously ugly and disgusting hidden behind that pretty face of his. “I let you live in that fantasy world of yours for so long. It’s time for you to understand and look beyond the walls your mother trapped you in.”_  

 _Orvax_ _turned around to look at his son, a part of Orm was sure_ _Orvax_ _enjoyed seeing his son being so obedient. He always loved it when people submit to him. That’s why he hated_ _Atlanna_ _so much. She was a fighter. She didn’t break, she didn’t bend. Orm’s eyes burned with shame as he felt like he was betraying his mother by kneeling in front of her murderer._  

 _“You always try to be someone you are not, Orm.”_ _Orvax_ _swam toward him, floating only inches away from Orm’s stiff figure. “You think we are all the same? Look!”_ _Orvax_ _reached forward and grabbed Orm’s head by his hair, pulling painfully as he dragged the young boy to the thick glass. Orm wondered why his father always went for his hair when he wanted to hurt Orm outside of the training facility. Was he disappointed by a son who didn’t even look like him?_  

 _Orvax_ _grabbed his neck and pushed his face against the glass, not allowing Orm to look anywhere but the city below._  

 _“What do you see when you look at them?”_ _Orvax’s_ _hand tightened around his neck when no reply came from his son. “They are like insects, aren’t they? Our daily discussions, our decisions and orders mean nothing to them. Do you think they care about Queen’s death as long as they are warm and feed?”_ _Orm’s fingers clenched into fists by his sides as he refused to say anything. “They don’t care. They don’t think. They don’t worry. We are up here, they are down there. Our lives are nothing like theirs.”_ _Orvax_ _finally pulled Orm back from the glass and turned him around to look into his eyes. “Your mother forgot that. And she paid the price with her life.”_  

 _“One day, one way or the other, I am going to die. Then, you will be the king.”_ _Orvax’s_ _callous fingers grabbed Orm’s chin and lifted his head. “What kind of king you will be, Orm? A coward like your mother, running away from the first fight she encountered, abandoning her kingdom?”_  

 _“Or, will you be like me? Not afraid to go to great lengths to do what is right for his kingdom?”_  

 

 

Commander Urcell grew up in a place that treated privacy and modesty like luxury. She had her childish innocence once, cheek reddening with shame and embarrassment, but those emotions got lost along the way as she fought tooth and nail to come to a place where she was seen as a person, not just a number or a tool. But she lost her interest in public relations, modesty or innocence. 

She didn’t care what guards talked behind her back as she slipped into Murk’s bedroom. It wasn’t much different than her room, except, her room was just a place to sleep while this room felt welcoming. It was clear that Murk lived here for a long time and not simply used this room, but he also loved it. 

This was another reminder of this place being a home to Murk and that it would never accept her the way it did to him.  

“What are you doing here?” Urcell turned around to face Murk who was surprisingly not wearing his helmet. Actually, this was the first time she was fully seeing his scarred face and pale blond hair. There was something unsettling about his looks that Urcell found attractive.  

“I came here to talk.” She answered calmly.  

“I don’t think we have anything to talk.” Murk was oozing his usual cold calmness but Urcell could see the anger in his eyes. Urcell was sure that if they weren’t in the Palace, right under Rath’s nose, right now, Murk would put his sword through her chest.  

“It’s important.” Urcell didn’t move, didn’t even blink as they came face to face. “Right now, a group of Drift agents are going to South Atlantic. Can you guess why?” 

“I am not interested in playing guessing games.” Urcell swallowed down her desire to punch that annoyed frown off of Murk’s face. 

“Well, you will be interested in a second.” Urcell placed her hands on her hips and looked into Murk’s eyes challengingly. “They don’t only go around killing everyone who doesn’t submit to Rath’s reign but I also heard Corum talk about fusion bombs with Elder Nuan.” Murk’s eyes widened and Urcell almost smirked with satisfaction for getting the reaction she wanted from Murk. Except, there was nothing to smile for. This was a terrible situation. 

“You mean... he will still use the fusion bombs?” Urcell shrugged, not showing her own worries. 

“Maybe? But he is considering it.” Murk’s calm and collected expression broke completely then. His eyes widened and his mouth twisted with anger.  

“This is all your fault, Urcell!” Dark skinned woman squinted her eyes at the pale man in front of her. 

“Lower your voice, Murk.” Despite not making an attempt to silent him herself, it came out as a threat. 

“You told me there was no way of stopping Rath from using fusion bombs unless you dethrone Arthur and bring Prince Orm back to the throne and I did what you told me to protect both surface and our kingdom. But now it’s worse! He is killing his own people and he still talked about fusion bombs?!” Despite the calm façade she showed so far, Urcell wasn’t a very patient person either. She threw an insulting look at Murk. 

“Your stupid dramatic prince didn’t do his part and ditched everything to run away with his ex-fiancée! Now, how is this my fault?” 

“How could Prince Orm know? That was a terrible plan! He would never make deals with a man like Rath. He is way above this level of abjectness.” Urcell’s hands clenched into fists to stop herself from hitting Murk. She was used to hearing insults and belittlement thrown at them and even if Rath was King now, people still saw the Hadalin when they looked at him. He didn’t have half-breed’s warmth and despite wielding it now, he wasn’t the one who brought Atlan’s trident back. He didn’t have Marius’ charisma or his noble aura. And most importantly, he didn’t have the right blood.  

“You think so highly of someone who dragged his soldiers to war that he failed to win himself.” 

“You can’t speak of him like this.” Murk pointed a finger at her face threateningly, which didn’t even make her blink. She raised an eyebrow as a cruel smile appeared on her face. 

“You are very loyal to your king, Murk. I wonder what he thinks of you now that you are here with us, instead of his side.” 

 

 

“Restoring our nation from the turmoil the old king left it in was never going to be accomplished in one day.” [1] Corum Rath’s fingers caressed the delicate golden leaves on the king’s crown thoughtfully.  

 _He was 9 when he went to work for the first time. His father was getting old, he wasn’t as fast as he used to be. There were things to do, family members to feed. He broke two stones that day, no matter how careful he was, his hands were hurting and his eyes were burning with the lack of sleep. His father gave him a sound beating for each stone. [2]_  

 _That was the first time he realized the hungry that was clawing his stomach, the cheap clothes sticking to his skin, his red and damaged hands were not normal._  

“I will not deal with the air-breathers nor will I entangle myself in their political game-play. I am simply making us safer. [3]” He turned around to look at his council of advisors. “Atlantis is far ahead of those on the land.” 

 _“It’s time for you to learn a lesson.”_ _Corum’s_ _back hit one of the cave walls painfully. Before he could take strength from the wall to push himself forward and dodge the upcoming attack,_ _Fivion’s_ _boot pressed his face against the same wall. “This is where you belong, boy.”_ _Corum_ _closed his eyes as his fingers were digging into the wall to surpass his desire to scream._ _“Under my boot. Like the rest of your family.”_  

 _That was his punishment, for breaking another stone. Now that his father was dead, the beating was his handlers’ responsibility. And_ _Corum_ _was sure they enjoyed it a bit too much._  

 _“They are disgusting.” He heard someone say as he was wiping the dirt and little bit of blood from his cheek. He looked up to see a dark-skinned girl with braided hair looking down at him. She was wearing similar clothes, another worker for sure. “I am_ _Clentha_ _Urcell_ [4] _. Who are you?”_  

 _“_ _Rath_ _._ _Corum_   _Rath_ _.”_  

“Unlike former King, Orm Marius, I don’t seek a war.” Corum’s hands tightened around the gold crown. “I believe that it’s time for us to cut our ties with the surface. Forever.” 

 _“What do you see when you look at them,_ _Corum_ _?” Maun asked as they were counting the stones and categorizing them before starting the day’s work._ _Corum_ _lifted his head then, to look where Maun was looking. There was man_ _Corum_ _has never seen before, talking to his handlers. He was wearing a bodysuit made of scales that looked way out of his world. It looked alien. Beautiful. Strange. “We aren’t like them.”_  

 _“But why? Aren’t we all the same?”_ _Corum_ _turned his head to look at his friend. Could he call Maun his friends? He was the only person_ _Corum_ _really talked to, apart from_ _Urcell_ _. At age of 16, he knew no one outside of work. This work was all his life. He would work until his hands start to bleed, go home, eat dinner and pass out._ _Corum_ _didn’t know another life. He couldn’t imagine a different life. But looking at this man’s soft looking hands, it was clear that there was a world_ _Corum_ _was alien to._  

 _“Don’t make me laugh, boy.” Maun shook his head, a bitter laugh escaped between his lips. “You think we are the same? Your life means nothing. You are just a number to them.”_  

“So, you don’t plan to attack on the surface, Lord King?” One of the advisors asked as he came forward. 

 _“We can go to the city. Upper levels, I mean.” Maun turned to look at him, an eyebrow was lifted._  

 _“Oh, really? Then what?”_ _Corum_ _leaned toward him, whispering swiftly._  

 _“I don’t know. We can talk to the king about our living conditions. Or we can find better jobs. We can study and—”_  

 _“_ _Oh,_ _Corum_ _... why do y_ _ou always try to be someone you are not_ _?_ _”_    _Corum’s_ _eyes widened with surprise as those words left Maun’s mouth. He clearly didn’t say this to insult him, he genuinely looked sad when their eyes met. “This is where you belong. This is your job. This is your life.”_  

 _“But... I don’t think this is the life I want.”_ _It was strange to admit it out loud after living the same life for 18 years. It was hard to admit because it felt like a slap in the face, waking him up from all those lies he told himself to keep his head low, his ears covered._  

 _“You think we have a say in that matter?” Maun hissed. “Look around you, boy. No one tries to change anything because we know you cannot.” Maun placed a hand on_ _Corum’s_ _stiff shoulder. “So, stop living in this fantasy world of yours and come back to us.”_  

“I believe it’s time to put an end to all this.” Corum answered calmly. “We are not going to seek a war but we cannot let them destroy us any longer. We are going to bring down their shores, destroy their ships, we won’t sink the cities but we will make sure they will never set a foot in our waters ever again.” 

 _“I am tired of this. I am tired of working for a piece of food. I am tired of accepting the beating. And this life. I am tired of everything. I hate people telling me this is who I am, this is who I should be. This is no way of living! I am fucking tired of it!”_ _Corum_ _wiped his cheek forcefully like he could clean himself from the memory of dirty and callous hands hitting his cheek._  

 _Urcell_ _leaned forward and grabbed his wrist._ _Corum_ _looked up at her with wide eyes as she grinned at him._  

 _“Then let’s do something about it.”_  

 

 

 _Mina wrapped her arms around_ _Ziva’s_ _stiff shoulder, giving Murk a simple nod before dragging her away from preying eyes._ _All the units and squads were called back from their respective missions with a Red Code. Knowing King Orm’s plan to unite all kingdoms under his reign to lead them against the surface world, it wasn’t hard to guess something terrible happened. As soon as their ship arrived to one of the docks,_ _Ziva_ _opened the door with uncalculated force and came face to face with Murk._  

 _That’s when it went bad._  

 _Terrible._  

 _Mina came after her friend, a part of her was worried to hear that the king got injured during the battle. Knowing King Orm, he would always_ _be in the front to_ _lead the attack,_ _if there was something everyone agreed about King Orm, it was that his courage and his leadership was admirable. And if King was injured, Mina wanted to be there with_ _Ziva_ _when she received the bad news._  

 _But the news they got was nothing like Mina expected. King’s half-breed brother who came to challenge him and ran away later managed to take the throne from King Orm. A part of Mina wished that Orm was dead. Not because she hated him or wanted him dead but she knew Orm. She served under his reign for years. She knew he would prefer to die._  

 _Mina thanked Murk and dragged_ _Ziva_ _away from the dock, to their private quarters. When they reached the door, Mina let go of_ _Ziva’s_ _wrist to dial the code._ _Ziva’s_ _shoulders were shaking but no tear came. She wasn’t crying. Which, for some reason, was way scarier than_ _Ziva_ _crying._  

 _“_ _Ziva_ _...” Mina softly touched her shoulder, like approaching a wild shark._  

 _“No.” She heard_ _Ziva_ _mutter. “No. No!_ _Nonononono_ _!”_  

 _Mina wrapped her arm around_ _Ziva’s_ _shoulder as latter started to shake her head and pull her hair, in a painful way, Mina guessed._  

 _“_ _Ziva_ _, you must calm down!” But her friend was not listening, she reached forward to grab Mina’s shoulders, looking into her eyes with her wide ones. From outside, it looked like they were a dancing couple, holding each other’s shoulders._  

 _“They are—They are going to send him to the Trench like they did to Queen_ _Atlanna_ _! They are going to hurt him, Mina and—”_  

 _“No one is going to hurt Kin—Orm,_ _Ziva_ _. Calm down.” Mina squeezed her shoulders to silence her blabbering._  

 _“You can’t expect me to believe that!” Lady_   _Ziva_ _Riman_ _pushed her friend away from her angrily. “Other kings never liked him because he’s a Marius. And am I supposed to believe that his brother is a good and kind man who would spare his life?! King_ _Orvax_ _didn’t spare Queen_ _Atlanna_ _!”_  

 _“But Orm spared our lives when we were nobodies to him,_ _Ziva_ _. And Arthur is his brother.” Mina tried to keep her voice low and calm._  

 _“You trust him?”_ _Ziva_ _almost winced as she noticed how accusing she sounded._  

 _“Of course not!” Mina made a sour face, indicating she was sharing_ _Ziva’s_ _feelings toward the new king. This wasn’t supposed to make_ _Ziva_ _feel a bit better, she has never been that petty but a part of her was happy to see that she wasn’t the only Atlantean who didn’t like King Arthur immediately. “He came out of nowhere, disturbed our peace, ran away from the Ring of Fire like a coward and attacked our soldiers with his newfound army of sea creatures.”_  

 _Once again,_   _Ziva_ _wished that Orm didn’t send them to this mission, so, she could be on the battlefield with him. Thinking about how the new king attacked their own people, soldiers who were merely following the king’s orders, just like they do with him now, made her fingers dig into her palms with anger and feel of betrayal._  

 _Arthur came here, claiming that he was bringing peace but looking at all those dead Atlanteans,_ _Ziva_ _couldn’t help but wonder, how was his way of dealing with this was any different than Orm’s? He stopped a war with another battle, he couldn’t find a better way. Just like Orm struggling with finding a way to stop the surface world from destroying their waters which ended up with him declaring a war._  

 _“I don’t trust him. But I don’t think he is evil. I don’t believe he will send his own brother to his death.”_ _Ziva's_ _shoulders fell with those words and her face distorted as if she was going to cry._  

 _“I can’t... I can’t watch or let them hurt him... I can’t.” Mina reached forward, knowing that_ _Ziva_ _won’t push away this time, and pulled her into a tight hug._  

 _“I know.” She whispered as she caressed her friend’s back. “Oh,_ _Ziva_ _! You knew it was a terrible idea to care for a man like him.”_  

 

 

Ziva woke up with a terrible headache as usual. It was the one thing about land that was impossible to get used to. Her hand touched the wooden floor without opening her eyes, searching for her water bottle. She took a huge sip from it before groaning and opening her eyes. She blinked a couple of times as her purple eyes adjusted to the light coming through the wide window on the opposite wall. She laid on her back for a second, eyeing the ceiling. After two months, she still needed a moment to remember where she was. It still felt like a bad dream to her. 

She turned her eyes to her right, looking at the couch Orm usually slept on. The blanket was on the floor and his pillow was lying in the middle of the couch. She frowned puzzledly. Orm was a rigorous and tidy person. He would wake up before her, he would make his ‘bed’ and go out to think... or sulk as Mera called it. But she has never seen him leaving the place so messy.  

Ziva rolled out of the couch, taking a minute to stretch her muscles lazily. This place was slowly killing the warrior inside her. She looked around to see if anyone else was awake but the kitchen was empty and she didn’t hear any voice coming from upstairs where Mera, Atlanna and Tom slept. She walked toward the front door then. She welcomed the refreshing wind hitting her face as soon as she opened the door. This was her favourite thing about this place. The smell of the ocean carried by the wind, hitting her face like a lover’s caress. 

It was the best thing about land. 

She enjoyed the feeling of damp grass under her bare feet as she walked closer to the dock. She looked around to see Orm but even with her enhanced vision she couldn’t see anyone around. A cold hand wrapped around her heart and squeezed as she walked toward the house again.  

That’s when she noticed the broken padlock on the steps. She forced herself to look up, knowing she won’t like what she was going to see. Eyes found the open door of Tom’s old storage room.  

Ziva shook her head slowly.  

“No.” She muttered, hand reaching forward to push the door back to see what was inside. Or what was missing.  

Neron’s trident was gone. 

“No!” She pushed the door away like it burned her fingers, door hit with a loud thud. “No... nonononono!” 

She ran a shaky hand through her messy brown hair as she kept shaking her head. She was always afraid of this, she spent 2 months fearing that he would disappear one day. But she never expected him to actually do this to his mother. Or to her. Her hand pulled her hair angrily. How stupid she was?! How did she not hear him leave? They were sleeping in the same room! She was a warrior, trained by Orm himself. She should have been more aware of her surroundings. Even when sleeping. That’s what Orm taught her. But now he was gone and she lost him like an idiot and he was probably— 

“Ziva!” Suddenly Queen Atlanna’s hands wrapped around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her long brown hair. She looked up to see Atlanna’s fear filled blue eyes widen. “What happened?!” She asked worriedly. “Are you alright?!” 

“I—” She choked on her words, arms reaching forward to grab Queen Atlanna’s shoulders for support. It was the same feeling all over again. Atlanna looked into her purple eyes with fear that didn’t belong in her kind eyes. “He’s gone.” 

Atlanna’s expression broke into a more guarded one, Ziva knew Atlanna understood what she meant but she wouldn’t believe until Ziva muttered those words. Mera and Tom appeared behind Atlanna, they both looked alarmed but Ziva could also see the confusion on their faces. 

“Ziva.” Atlanna’s voice came out like a plea. Purple eyed woman had a burning desire to lie then, she wanted to say her she was wrong and her son only went for a run. But her eyes turned to the storage room. 

It was gone. 

He was gone.  

Atlanna’s eyes followed Ziva’s gaze and found the storage room’s slightly open door. She gasped then, arms dropping by her sides. Mera acted first, she quickly reached forward to push the door back, revealing the empty space that was occupied by a silver trident before.  

“No.” Atlanna muttered. Tom came forward to wrap an arm around Atlanna’s shoulder, pulling her to his chest. “No, he wouldn’t. He—He—” She took a shaky breath and pressed her back against Tom’s chest. “Why now?” 

“More importantly,” Mera said, eyes still focused on the empty space in the storage door, “what are we going to do now?” She turned to look at the others. “He is gone. We all know he went to Atlantis to challenge Corum Rath. But that’s a suicide mission! He is not only going to get himself killed but he is also going to ruin our chances to take the throne back.” 

“Mera —” Tom reached forward but before he could do or say anything, they heard a noise. Mera frowned as Tom raised an eyebrow, recognizing the motor sound of a car. They all turned around to look at the source.  

An old Ford Fiesta? 

At least Tom was sure no evil Atlantean would drive an old Ford Fiesta. His stiff shoulders relaxed a bit when he noticed it. He gestured others to wait at the door as he walked closer to the car. It stopped a meter away from Tom, he squinted his eyes at the car, sun shining on the window and making it impossible to see who was inside.  

Passenger door opened and Arthur stepped out. 

Tom would laugh if he was not feeling so many emotions at the same time. It was almost hilarious to see his giant son coming out of that small Ford Fiesta.  

“Hey, dad!” Arthur grinned at him and waved. Tom’s surprised expression broke into a tearful smile. 

“ARTHUR!” Tom turned around, seeing Mera jump over the stair handrails and running toward them. Before Tom could even react, Mera jumped into Arthur’s arms, wrapping her own arms around Arthur’s neck tightly. 

“Mera.” Arthur whispered, burying his face in her hair to breath her unique smell. “I was so worried.” 

“You were worried?!” Mera pulled back angrily. “I was dying here. You big, stupid, heroic—” She groaned and buried her hands in his hair, pulling his head down to kiss him passionately. Tom turned his eyes to driver’s side then. There was a petite blonde woman standing with a confused expression. Tom smiled at her. 

“Thank you for bringing my son back to me.” She pushed her short blonde hair back and smiled shyly. 

“It’s okay. I was really worried and didn’t know what to do. I am glad your son is okay now.” 

“You have to tell me what happened.” Mera said, finally pulling back. “Leot said you were dead.” 

“What?!” Atlanna walked toward them with quick steps as Ziva followed her like a ghost. “What even—” Her words died down as her blue eyes landed on her son, reminding her of the last time they met like this. “Arthur. You are back.” 

“Mother.” Mera stepped aside to let Arthur hug his mother. No one said anything for a moment as they hugged each other. 

“Arthur,” Atlanna said when they pulled back, “what happened? How did this happen?” 

“Murk.” Arthur said darkly. “I think he was working for Orm all this time.” 

“It’s not possible.” Mera frowned. “Orm isn’t with Corum Rath.” 

“What?” Arthur raised his eyebrows, surprised by this revelation.  

“He refused Corum’s offer, to take the throne, and he helped me to escape from Atlantis and Corum’s men.”  

Arthur and Orm had their differences, they definitely didn’t like each other and every time they spoke, they fought like 5-year-olds. A part of Arthur wanted to love, trust and even help his brother. But Orm built those tall and thick walls around him that kept everyone, including Arthur, out. And no matter how much Arthur tried to reach him, he couldn’t. With isolation, Orm turned into a bitter, spiteful person. Arthur could see his depression lying under but Orm was the most stubborn asshole Arthur has ever met. 

But everything faded away with this information. Arthur’s heart warmed up, knowing that his brother made the right choice for the first time since they met. Knowing that the boy Arthur dreamed of when they were kids could be real, somewhere deep down. And this hope was all Arthur needed to try to reach him.  

Somewhere deep inside Orm’s cold and petrified heart, there was the brother he longed for.  

“Where is he then?” Arthur looked around confusedly. Knowing Orm, he was probably being petty and childish again, sitting on their living room couch with a pout on his face. Because of course he wouldn’t come running to welcome his brother.  

This thought almost made him laugh. 

Atlanna and Mera shared a worried look as Ziva ran a hand through her hair anxiously. Arthur’s confused smile broke into a frown. 

“Arthur.” Atlanna said carefully, stepping forward to grab Arthur’s hands. Arthur’s frown deepened when Atlanna’s cold hands caressed the back of his hands. He could see the worried, conflicted look in his mother’s eyes. She looked up at him with those sad blue eyes that he hated seeing on her. She suffered enough for a lifetime and Arthur believed that from now on she only deserved peace and happiness. But life didn’t agree with him on this.  

“Orm is gone.” 

And as easy as it was to build hopes, so was to wreck them.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] [x](https://66.media.tumblr.com/ee9af84ea7a08038d3a28c93799bbaa3/tumblr_inline_pn1khqcvSR1vt034t_540.png)  
> [2] Rath and his father were masonries and if Corum broke any stones, his father would beat him  
> [3] [x](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DX4ERP3VwAAmfpk.jpg)  
> [4] As far as I can remember, Urcell doesn't have any other name? They always mention her as Commander Urcell in comics. So I gave her a first name
> 
> Aaaand yes, we will have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happened to Orm :)))) lol  
> Thanks for reading, I am lanthimo on tumblr & twitter


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter requires some comic knowledge however as usual I will add all the details as footnotes so don’t forget to check them out!  
> As you can see, I added another chapter BUT it's going to be a 'special' chapter between this and the final one so... just letting you all know.  
> This is my favorite chapter, I guess, I was really excited to share this with you I hope you guys like it!

If it was up to him, Corum Rath would say he has always been very good with his hands. Those callous hands used so many different tools since he was a little boy. He went after every kind of work to survive in Ninth, no matter how gruelling the job was.  

He was a dexterous man overall. 

But he was not a warrior nor a soldier, his hands were not used to holding weapons. Not even those ordinary weapons that belonged to a mere guard. He was a thinker, a tactician. A leader. And even after carrying an ancient magical weapon that was forged long before Atlantis sunk for 2 months, Corum still felt strange when his hands tightened around the shaft of the trident, calculating the heaviness to compare it to the other one he carried so far.  

Despite his gloved hands, he could feel a coldness oozing from the ancient weapon of a king, sending chills down his spine. It wasn’t like the golden one. Atlan’s trident felt warm under his fingers, it was still alien to him but there was something welcoming about it. When he was holding the golden trident, Corum finally felt worthy. But with this one, it felt wrong. Corum felt rejected. He felt judged, insulted and mocked by a weapon. By an object.  

It was a reminder of how dangerous his opponent was. 

He finally turned around, silver trident still tightly grabbed in his right hand, to look at the man who was chained down in the middle of the throne room. 

“A very good weapon.” Corum raised his hand to give the man a better look at the trident like it didn’t belong to him. “Feels different than the other one I have but it will still be a good addition to my collection.” 

“Don’t get too familiar.” Blond man raised his head to meet Rath’s eyes, showing no emotions other than burning anger in his ice-cold blue eyes. “I don’t want you to be heartbroken when I take it back.” 

An artificial smile appeared on Corum Rath’s face and for a short moment he became a poor reflection of the man who started it all; Orvax Marius. Orm’s muscles stiffened as he tried to stop himself from forcing the chains, well knowing that they wouldn’t break. He didn’t want to give that satisfication to Corum by struggling and belittling himself in front of him. One of the first things he learned was to control your anger, never show it to your enemy unless you want them to use it against you. Orm was a master tactician, he wrote the attack plans single-handedly for years and he never lost a battle until his long-lost half-brother showed up with the Dead King’s trident. He knew when to fight and when to save his energy and wait for his chance.  

“Be careful, Marius.” He pointed at the crown sitting on his long light brown hair in a mocking manner. “You must show respect to this.” His expression broke into a self-satisfied smile. “You can call me... Your Highness.” 

Orm’s lips curved into a bitter smile, despite years of training to keep his emotions in check, he was struggling to bottle up his anger in front of a wannabe king who couldn’t even tell the difference between two tridents he was ‘wielding’ now. Corum Rath was wearing his family’s crown like a trophy, sitting on a throne that belonged to the greatest rulers in all seven seas.  

“Then you should show the same respect by calling me  _Ocean Master_.” 

Corum smirked arrogantly as he was descending from the throne to face his captive. Half-breed brother was dead, he wasn’t a king long enough to gain his own loyalists, all those people who were warm to the idea of a foreigner being their king were easy to give up on him. His biggest threat was kneeling before him, chained at his command. He expected Marius come running to him sooner for a fight like his father would. But this wouldn’t be the first time Corum was wrong about the former king. With Marius at his mercy, his loyalists would bow down to him soon. Xebel princess, with or without traitor queen’s help, wouldn’t dare to step a foot in Atlantis anymore.  

He won. 

“I must say,” his voice came out snidely, “I am disappointed, Marius.” Corum floated in front of Orm, his boots at eye level of Orm’s. Another silent insult. “I heard, at least your brother put up a fight.” 

“My brother is an idiot who can’t plan 5 mins ahead.” Orm shrugged calmly. He lifted his chin slightly to look into Corum’s eyes. “But I am... I am waiting.” 

It was too satisfying to see the way Corum’s face fell that Orm’s expression almost broke into a smirk but he schooled his face. Corum Rath was nothing, no one. He was just an insect trying to play king. He could never fill a king’s shoes. He knew nothing about political games, schemes and lies. He had a terrible poker face.  

Orm would eat this little guy alive. 

“Wait for what?” Someone like Orm could easily see his guarded and unsettled expression. He was so easy to play with. Corum Rath wasn’t the only one who was disappointed for exaggerating their opponent today. 

Orm smiled at Corum in a way that sent chills down the latter’s spine. 

 

 

Murk’s hand tightened around his blaster as he stood in front of the grand doors of the throne room. Two guards standing in front of the door were unknown to Murk, he was sure that those were Corum Rath’s followers. Despite helping them, Murk never joined one of their meetings, he never saw those guys before. His only connection to the Deluge was Urcell. And he was still mad at her. At least she cleared his path for him to this point. 

Since he heard Prince Orm’s sudden appearance at the gates and his arrest, he knew he would find him in the throne room. Corum didn’t like Orm but as a king, he had more of Corum’s respect than Arthur for sure. And Corum followed Orm’s tradition, chaining Orm in the middle of the room as an example. Now that Murk knew Corum was going to activate the fusion bombs anyway and Prince Orm was here, he had no reason to stand with the Deluge.  

He was going to free Prince Orm, even if it was going to be the last thing— 

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by two plasma energy blasts hitting the guards before they, or Murk, could react. He drew his weapon, not knowing where to point at. But he had no reason to worry since a woman figure, completely clad in black bodysuit with a black helmet that covered her face, stepped out from the inner walls.  

Before Murk could point his blaster at her, she reached up and pulled off her helmet. Shoulder length dark brown hair fell around her face, moving around her face like the softest sea silk. Murk’s eyes widened. 

“No way.” A gasp escaped between his lips as the woman smirked at him. 

“Hello there, Murk.” 

“Mina?!” Four other people, clad in the same black bodysuit, appeared behind her, all holding their blasters, ready to fight. “What are you doing here? They are looking everywhere for you.” 

“We never left, Murk.” Her expression turned into a more serious one. “We were hiding in the lower levels of the city, we knew they would take a long time to find us there. Ziva warned us before she left.” 

“Ziva? I... I heard she escaped with Prince Orm?” Mina’s face hardened. 

“Yes. She helped him and Princess Mera to escape. We were holding back since then. But Ziva finally contacted me. We will no longer hide, we won’t run away from the fight.” She rested her blaster against her shoulder. “Ziva let us know Prince Orm was coming to Atlantis. We are here to rescue him.”  

“I...” Murk looked down at his blaster, frowning. He was going to try to free Prince Orm even before Mina and her team showed up. He had no doubt about it. But taking back the throne? Now, that was going to be challenging. “There are so many of them. I don’t know who we can trust. They let Corum Rath do as he pleases.” 

“They are afraid.” Mina placed her hand on Murk’s shoulder, looking into his eyes. “A spark of hope is all they need to get into action. Then they will come to join our fight to restore our kingdom.” She threw a look at her team over her shoulder before turning back to Murk. “Say, will you stand with us?” 

 

 

“Tell me.” Corum looked down at the trident in his hand, silver shining under the light almost suggestively. Corum could feel its call. “I have been curious ever since.” He knew he couldn’t trust anything coming from Marius family but a part of him was dying to try this new weapon. He witnessed the glory of its powers first-hand. “How do you summon the lightning? Was it hard to learn?” 

He wasn’t actually expecting Marius to give him a straightforward answer. He wasn’t surprised when Marius scoffed. 

“It’s not something you can learn. You born with it. The magic is in our royal blood. Something you could never steal.” Corum’s face fell at the mocking hint of his tough upbringings but he quickly put on a fake smirk. Orm Marius wasn’t the only asshole in this room. 

“That’s not what the Silent School [1] say.” Orm’s face hardened. This brought a smile to Corum’s face. He knew he hit the right spot. Reverend Mother Cetea was a coward, she tried to warn him against drawing too much magic from Silent School but by doing this, she let him find out a deeply protected secret. “So, you say, you don’t know anything about Abyssal Dark [2]?” 

“Rath. Don’t.” Corum’s hand tightened around the shaft of Orm’s trident.  

“So, it’s okay when you kill a king to achieve your goals but I can’t do the same? I am disappointed once again, Marius. I thought we were the same, at least, in this way. I would go great length to do what I believe in.” 

“Trust me.” Orm straightened up on his knees. “This is a line you don’t want to cross, Rath.”  

Corum Rath opened his mouth to call Orm a liar, accuse him of trying to scare him off so he wouldn’t achieve the absolute power. But before he could get any of those words out, the doors of the throne room opened by a great force that could be considered disrespectful.  

Orm Marius looked over his shoulder toward the door and smirked. 

“I guess the wait is over.” 

 

 

“You know, this is not the first time I am trying to break into Atlantis.” Ziva looked at Arthur over her shoulder with a confused expression that made Mera roll her eyes. Arthur looked like he was having too much fun for someone who had no trident or weapon that could actually hurt an Atlantean. He didn’t have Mera’s clearance either so redhead wasn’t sure where his confidence was coming from. Arthur could still connect with marine life without his trident, of course, but would it be enough to open the gates of Atlantis to them? 

“Can you focus? We are not going to swim inside so easily this time.” She grumbled annoyedly. But Arthur wrapped his arm around Mera’s shoulder as Ziva was in the pilot’s seat of his mother’s ship.  

“You don’t have to worry, darling. I have got this.” Mera squinted her eyes at him as Arthur gestured Ziva to stop before they could reach the gates. “Arthur, what the hell are you doing?” 

Arthur opened the upper door of the ship and swam outside. Mera threw Ziva a worried look as the brown-haired girl shrugged. She wished she was with her team instead of the former king and the princess. Not that Ziva didn’t like them but they were so unpredictable and crazy. Those were terrible traits in battlefield. But somehow, it always worked out for them. She sighed and followed them, leaving the ship behind.  

“Open the gates!” Arthur swam closer to the grand doors and yelled at the guards. 

“Arthur, what the fuck?!” Mera swam faster to catch up with her fiancé. “Are you crazy?!” 

“OPEN THE GATES!” He yelled at them again as he gestured Mera to stay behind. Redhead frowned but did as he said. No matter how crazy he acted, Mera trusted Arthur. He earned her trust, after all. 

“Ki— Prince Arthur? Is that you?” One of the guards answered finally. He sounded confused. Arthur couldn’t blame him for not knowing how to address him. In a couple of months, three different people sat on the throne of Atlantis.  

“It’s me. Guard, open the door.” 

“I... Sir, I can’t, I—” It was clear that he wasn’t on Rath’s side but he was still an Atlantean and they grew up being loyal to the throne. He was confused and didn’t know what to do. Arthur decided to give him a push. 

 _“I AM YOUR KING!”_  

They felt it before they saw it. All of them. The guards, Ziva, Mera. Arthur wide opened his arms as different species answered to his call, surrounding him, Mera and Ziva like a protective shield. 

“Poseidon’s beard.” Ziva muttered, eyes wide open with shock as she looked around her. 

“Oh, Neptune, he’s so hot when he does that.” Mera mumbled next to her. 

And the grand gates of Atlantis opened for the rightful owner of the throne.  

 

 

Orm leaned back, putting his weight on the balls of his feet with a self-satisfied smirk, watching Corum Rath’s face broke into a shocked expression. The truth is, Orm didn’t know about Murk and Mina’s plans, whatever it was. He wasn’t expecting their involvement. However, Corum didn’t need to know that. Thinking Orm planned all this would make him less confident and this would lead him to make more mistakes.  

“Murk.” Corum schooled his expression as soon as the first wave of shock passed and he swam higher, away from Orm to face interrupters. “I should have known you would come running like a loyal dog as soon as you heard your precious prince is here.” He brought Orm’s trident in front of him, not as a defensive position but more like a show to let them see who was wielding it now. “But I am surprised. Do you think,” He turned his eyes down to look at Orm, “your prince will take you back when he finds out, it’s you who killed his brother?” 

Orm’s chained hands clenched into fists behind his back but his expression stayed blank. Corum didn’t need to know that it actually affected Orm. There would be a time to discuss this with Murk after beating Corum Rath. Orm tried not to think about the confirmation of his brother’s death. He needed to focus on the task at the hand. He needed to play his cards right if he wanted to win this conflict between them. And this anger, this hollow feeling in his chest would only be a distraction in a moment like this.  

“There was a time I was willing to kill him myself.” Orm said back calmly. Corum’s lips curled up in a sweet smile. It was clear that he was annoyed by Orm’s lack of response to the revelation.  

“So, this is the part you will say you planned all this?” Orm planted his feet on the smooth surface beneath him and pushed his body up, chains allowed him to move only a little bit but it was worth to see Corum Rath flinch even though he wasn’t the only holding a deadly weapon.  

“You see, getting captured was the only way to reach the throne room so quickly and without a fight.” Orm smirked at him when Corum’s face hardened with realization. “I didn’t waste any energy, I came this close to you.” He gave another soft pull to the chains, lifting his chin to face Corum Rath. “I say, I put up a better fight than my brother. What do you think?” 

It was fun to see Corum’s face twist with anger but unfortunately, this only lasted for a moment. Corum might be an amateur in this political mind games but he was still a worthy opponent. After all, he was the one wearing the crown now. And he took it right under Orm and Arthur’s nose. Underestimating him would be Orm’s biggest mistake. 

Corum, as confirming Orm’s suspicions, smiled at Orm as he swam away from him, closer to the throne. Mina and Murk raised their weapons in case he would try to run away. But Orm patiently waited for his next move.  

“You think I would face you, my biggest and most dangerous enemy, alone in this room?” Orm was the only one who was close enough to hear what Corum said and before he can turn around to warn Mina, her team and Murk, Corum made an overdramatic hand gesture that warned every hidden Drift agent in the room.  

10 black ops specialists came from the upper side of the throne room, leaving their hiding positions to point their weapons at his rescuers. Corum dropped Orm’s trident carelessly, it was a good way to provoke the former king and it was a pretty shiny thing but under his hands, it was useless. He reached for the golden trident that Murk ripped from the hands of another dead king for him.  

As a chained former king, Orm was seen as the least dangerous person in the room thus he was left alone in the middle of the room as the Drift went after Mina and others. This time, Orm really forced the chains, trying to break free as Corum Rath took Dead King’s trident from the throne. 

“There is no way out of this, Corum!” Another pull but nothing happened. These chains were designed to hold down the most powerful Atlanteans, like his brother. Arthur couldn’t break free then and neither could Orm. 

“There is one.” Corum wasn’t an idiot. Calling the Drift only gained him some time for his escape. If Murk actually reached the throne room without a fuss, that means Urcell let him pass. He was betrayed, they were coming for him and his only option was to leave. Or gain more power to defeat the Ocean Master and make everyone bow down once and for all. 

“Corum, don’t!” But he didn’t listen Ocean Master’s warnings. He turned around with a grim expression and swam toward the back door of the throne room. 

 

 

“Your Highness!” Orm turned around to face Murk as the latter pointed his blaster at the chains that were holding him. Orm raised his hands up, giving Murk a better angle to shoot. As soon as the chains broke and pieces floated away from him, Orm rubbed his wrists. His cold blue eyes turned to Murk. 

“We will talk about your betrayal later.” He didn’t take another look at Murk as he turned his back to him and swam to the throne where Corum dropped Neron’s trident. Feelings the cold shaft under his fingers sent a thrilling chill down Orm’s spine. He felt whole again. For how long he was keeping this part of himself locked down? For how long he was hiding his true self from everyone including himself?  

This was who he was. 

He was the wielder of Neron’s trident. 

He was the Ocean Master. 

“Your Highness.” Murk followed him to the throne. “Corum Rath is escaping, as the only member of the royal family in Atlantis, what are your orders?” 

Orm’s hand tightened around the shaft as he was brought back to the throne room by Murk’s voice. He opened his eyes look at the scarred face of the man in front of him. When Orm tried to warn Corum Rath, he was doing it sincerely. Of course, not because he cared about Corum Rath’s fate but Orm knew his mistakes would bring the wrath of Abyssal Dark on all of them. 

“He is not escaping.” He said to Murk grimly. Other man’s eyes widened with surprise. The most logical option for Corum Rath would be to escape while everyone was still confused and two sides were still clashing. Murk heard from Wanga that the gates of Atlantis were open. But Rath wasn’t escaping? He must be crazier than they thought. “I know where to find him.” 

 

 

Corum kicked open the locked door, not even needing to use the golden trident in his hands. His hands were shaking with anger and the bitter taste of betrayal. He had Ocean Master under his boots, just a moment ago. He was this close to his final victory and everything he’s fought for was gone.  

But, no, it wasn’t over yet. 

No matter what Marius told him, Corum knew you could never win at life without taking risks. He didn’t get this crown on his head by simply waiting for his turn. People like him would never be allowed in this Palace under normal circumstances. He had to fight for everything he owned since the day he was born. He had to fight to survive, fight to eat, fight to exist. And now he was at a place where he could make everything better for everyone and they wanted to take it away from him? 

Could Orm Marius see the world from where Corum stand? Did he ever feel the hunger clawing the walls of his stomach? Did he ever feel someone’s boots pressing his face into rocky cave walls? Did he ever feel people’s insulting, pitying looks on him as he swam past them?  

He knew nothing! He was born wrapped in sea silk, raised with the shiniest and most valuable stones decorating his crown. Men twice his age bowing down to his wills even he was a child. He could never understand his people like Corum would. 

 _“I see you came to me finally.”_ A deep voice laughed from the darkest corner of the room.  _“I thought you wouldn’t answer my callings.”_  

“I see now.” Corum hissed between his teeth. “They warned me about you. But you understand when they don’t.” 

 _“I do, child. I understand.”_ The demon answered. 

“Tell me what I have to.” Corum stood in front of the darkness with stiff shoulders and determination. He has been many things before. He has been called by many names. A thief. A liar. A peasant. A lowlife. A dreamer. An idiot. 

But he was never a coward.  

And here, standing in front of the most dangerous prisoner in entire Atlantis that were kept as a dirty hidden secret, he was ready to do whatever he needed to do. 

 _“Free me, child. And together, no one will stand in our way.”_  

 

 

Orm swam toward the lower levels of the Palace, not stopping for a moment to look around him. The entire Palace was under the dark clouds of the chaos that Corum Rath brought with him. A part of him was annoyed at Arthur, if Orm was still the king, he would never be stupid enough to fall for Corum’s cheap tricks. But Arthur walked right into the trap and paid the price with his life. Still, Orm found it hard to be mad at his brother. Especially knowing that he was dead. 

Orm didn’t know how he was going to talk to his mother. As a child, he watched his mother burn with the yearning for a child that wasn’t him. And back then, he couldn’t understand her feelings. He felt his own jealousy, he felt his own insecurities. He couldn’t feel his mother’s grief.  

Now that they found each other, how could he take it away from her once again? 

“ORM!” 

His body stiffened. Eyes widened as he came to a sudden stop. He turned around to look at the owner of the voice. 

“Arthur?” It was weird to hear Orm Marius mumble, after hearing him give theatrical wails [3], dramatic battle cries and angry yells. Arthur swam toward his brother quickly.  

“You prideful idiot!” Arthur angrily grasped Orm’s shoulder, checking his brother’s body for any injuries as the blond man stayed still under his touch. “Do you know how worried mother was?” 

Orm blinked his wide blue eyes several times. 

“You are alive.” He gasped. Arthur’s expression broke into a surprised one. Orm looked shocked. Arthur forgot that they believed him to be dead and Orm didn’t know Arthur was still alive until this very moment. And it was such a surprise to see Orm looking like this. Arthur believed that they were coming to a better understanding before he left and got himself injured. But he never dared to believe that Orm cared. There was a time when Orm was ready to kill him. He didn’t do it for joy but he truly believed that Arthur was meant to die. 

But now, his brother was looking at him like he couldn’t believe Arthur was real. And it wasn’t a disappointed look. If it was a couple of months ago, Arthur was sure Orm would be disappointed to see him alive but now... now things were different between them. And even though Orm got over his shock very quickly and schooled his expression into a frown to hide his emotions, Arthur was more familiar with Orm’s habits now. He could see Orm was trying to hide his emotions and for now that was enough for Arthur.  

“Corum Rath.” Orm said with a frown, looking over his shoulder. “He is going to the Silent School. We must stop him before he does something crazy.” 

Arthur blinked twice with a blank expression. 

“I... literally have no idea what you are talking about but it sounds bad.” Orm squinted his eyes at his brother but he didn’t make any mordacious comment. He turned toward the corridor lying behind them with a determined expression.  

“I must stop him.” His hands clenched into fists by his side, Neron’s trident sending jolts of power through his veins. Arthur reached forward and placed his hand on Orm’s shoulder. 

“We.” Orm looked at him over his shoulder with a puzzled expression. “Together, brother?” 

Orm’s expression softened into a thoughtful one. His father used to talk about warriors standing alone in battlefield no matter how many soldiers followed him. Orvax Marius thought his son not to trust anyone. Growing up, Orm never had anyone standing beside him as his equal. They were his soldiers, his warriors, his advisors. Never his equals. 

Maybe that’s why once upon a time he dared to dream of his brother standing beside him. 

“Together, brother.” 

 

 

Orm lead Arthur to the Silent School, giving him a brief explaining about the magic in Atlantis. Arthur was a king for only a couple of months, there was so much he didn’t know about this kingdom and its history. This made Arthur think about their future for a second. Orm was smart, he was a skilled warrior, a great tactician, a historiography. He could be a great advisor and a right-hand of a king. And seeing how he defended his kingdom, how he saved Mera to give Atlantis a chance to reclaim their throne, Arthur was proud of his brother’s progress.  

Orm chose his family over the throne. 

After everything he heard from Mera and Vulko, Arthur could never imagine Orm putting his family over Atlantis. Orvax Marius taught Orm that Atlantis came before family. And after Queen Atlanna’s death, Orm started to believe that, too. But now... now he could see the bigger picture. 

Maybe they were both good for each other. 

Maybe, when this is all over, Orm could stand with his brother, truly this time.  

Orm looked at Arthur, pointing at a big, black door with engraving that Arthur couldn’t understand. It was written in ancient Atlantean language that Vulko was determined to teach him.  

This was it. This was the door. Whatever that made Orm freak out was behind this door and they were about to face it. Together. 

The lock was broken. Corum Rath was already inside.  

Orm pushed the door open with his boot and swam inside. Arthur followed him.  

There he was, Corum Rath standing in the middle of the room, his back turned to them. He lifted his head when he heard them come inside. Orm stiffened when he realized something was wrong. Arthur didn’t know Corum Rath that well, he didn’t notice the difference. But Orm could. 

Corum was taller, bigger and his skin looked blueish. He slowly turned around. The crown was still sitting on his long brown hair, but his face was heavily deformed and his skin was blue. His eyes were yellow with black slits like a snake’s. His gloved hands were turned into claws and as his mouth opened to grin at them, Orm could see the razor-sharp teeth. 

“WELCOME TO MY KINGDOM!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] In comics Atlantis is a very important and powerful centre of magic in DCU. And Silent School is basically a college of magicians. Reverend Mother Cetea was really worried about how much 'magic' Corum was drawing/using during his reign.  
> [2] Well, this is a bit complicated so I am quoting Aqua-wiki page "The Abyssal Dark is a extremely ancient and powerful magic derived from the powers of the demons of the sea". So, in here, it's described as the power but Corum actually means a demon that possess this power that's been locked up in Atlantis for a long time  
> [3] Patrick Wilson called Orm's screams as theatrical wails and who am I to disagree with the king himself?
> 
> Thanks for reading, I am lanthimo on tumblr & twitter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes my worst chapter...  
> No proofread, no effort.... You can see that I just want to be done with these flashbacks lol  
> OKAY LISTEN as you can see, this isn't the last chapter, this is like a 'special' between two chapters and one of those flashbacks (duh, the first one) is kinda important. This flashback was mentioned by Orm before and it will be mentioned again in the final chapter.

**_5 Years Before Orm Marius’ Dethronement_   **

 

 _Maarzon_ _[1] was Lady_ _Ziva_ _Riman’s_ _first mission as the commander of her own squad, alongside with her friend Mina. It was a big deal in so many different ways. She was pretty young to become a commander, let alone to have her own team, and apart from that she was a purple eyed_ _Idylist_ _. Then there was the fact that she was personally trained by King Orm Marius himself._  

 _People talked behind closed doors._  

 _It was funny, considering Orm Marius didn’t even take a second look at her at first. She represented his ideals, when he was standing up against his father to save her life, he was standing up for ideals_ _._ _It wasn’t to deceive his father or because he was interested in her. She was one of the many faceless Atlanteans around him. Maybe pity played a part in his decision as well since she was 2 years younger than him, had no family and she looked lost, hopeless. But Orm could see a diamond ready to be_ _processed. He saw it when their eyes met in the throne room where she came to beg_ _Orvax_ _Marius to allow her to stay in Atlantis since no other kingdom would accept her and she would end up as a dinner for Trench sooner or later._  

 _Orm Marius had no sympathy for the surface dwellers but for his own citizens, his heart was open. He truly believed that no Atlantean should be casted aside for simply being different._  

 _This was the reason he protected_   _Ziva_   _Riman_ _, not because he had any special feelings or interest toward her._  

 _For_ _Ziva_ _, however, the experience was completely difference._  

 _From the first moment their eyes met, she was drawn to him. Then he gave her that gem, their fingers barely brushing against each other and it sent chills down her spine._ _She was 16 and never felt this way._  

 _She was young but she wasn’t stupid. She knew he was destined to become the king when_ _Orvax_ _Marius dies, she was merely a guard back then. No matter how fast she climbed ranks, she could never come close to him. Living under the same roof, they were still worlds apart._  

 _This didn’t stop her from looking after the future king longingly,_ _taking her time to analyse the shade of his blue eyes as he was talking to her. And she wondered, did he truly not realize how she looked at him when they were training together, his usually cold blue eyes burning with passion and determination as his_ _disheleved_ _hair falling around his face like silk, long and delicate fingers tightly wrapped around his trident?_  

 _It was clear he never looked at her that way. His eyes never stayed on her longer than necessary, he never looked at her longingly. She wasn’t expecting him to. What if he did? What would it change? Nothing. There was no point in chasing hopeless dreams. But all those thoughts weren’t enough to kill the fire burning inside her chest._  

 _It wasn’t a simple adoration, admiration or respect like she first assumed._  

 _She loved him. And she loved loving him._  

 _That’s why her hands went to the gem lying between her breasts, fingers tightened around it as her body descended toward the bottom of the ocean without her control._ _Her left leg, where the_ _razor sharp_ _teeth sank in, was throbbing with an intolerable pain, she hit her head hard enough to lose her bearings during the sudden attack._  

 _She was supposed to protect the king during the_ _Maarzon_ _mission, it was her job to do so. But she fell victim to the Trench attack and she wasn’t even sure what happened to the king._  

 _She always assumed she would die during a mission, this was no surprise to her._ _From the day Orm Marius spared her life, she followed him, into the danger, into the unknown. Wherever he wanted to go, she followed him. She wasn’t sure if it was a way to show her gratitude or she just wanted to be with him._  

 _Here she was, falling to her death and even her last thoughts were of him._  

 _Her shoulders suddenly hit something solid and warm, first slowing down and later stopping her fall. Soon she realized fingers wrapping around her biceps, pulling her against a flat, solid surface. She could feel the smooth and scaled texture of Atlantean armour under her left cheek, eyes barely open, not seeing anything other than the darkness of deep ocean._  

 _“Come on, Lady_ _Ziva_ _,” she heard his soft yet commanding voice, “we don’t leave anyone behind today.”_  

 _Orm turned his eyes toward the surface, not looking behind to see the Trench following them as he used his legs to push them up. His right arm tightened around_ _Ziva’s_ _unresponsive body, pressing her against his chest._  

 _It was a dark night, moon was hidden behind the dark rain clouds. Trench were sensitive to the light but recent decrease in their food stock made them more violent, ruthless and brave. Orm knew they would follow him to the surface. His only option was to find the land that was illuminated by those city lights he heard of before. That would scare them away._  

 _Orm didn’t risk anything when he had an injured commander with him. He swam toward the city, wondering what Trench were doing this close to the land. No one knew where their queen was located but Orm’s searches made it clear that it was closer to the Philippine Sea._  

 _He knew Trench attacked surface dwellers before, when they were going mad with hunger, they would risk everything and follow the light for more food. This city didn’t promise absolute protection from the Trench but it was their best option at the moment. He couldn’t swim back to Atlantis with an injured_ _Ziva_ _. They would be defenceless. Their best option was to spend the night on the land, this would give_ _Ziva_ _time to heal and Trench would get tired of waiting for them. With sun, they would go even deeper. Then Orm would have a chance to bring_ _Ziva_ _back home for a better examination._  

 _“I refuse to let you die,_ _Ziva_ _.”_  

 _Finally, he managed to climb up the rocks with_ _Ziva_ _in his arms, laying her down on the rocks and grass. His wet and heavy body dropped down next to her as his lungs adjusted to the air. He laid on his back, looking up at the starry sky as he breathed heavily, blond locks falling into his blue eyes. When his breathing turned back to normal, he rolled onto his side, checking_ _Ziva’s_ _pulse with his right hand. As soon as his fingers touched her neck, her eyes fluttered open, purple eyes looking around aimlessly._  

 _“Where are we?” She muttered softly._  

 _“Cagliari.” He answered. “You should rest, Lady_ _Ziva_ _. We will spend the night here.”_  

 _Orm wasn’t sure if she was aware of her surroundings or his presence next to her. Her eyelids dropped as fast as they opened. Orm sat up straight and looked around them. No surface dwellers were around. He rested his elbows against his knees and sighed._  

 _The mission went terrible. He wasn’t expected to bump into the Trench this close to Tyrrhenian Sea. He turned his eyes to the woman sleeping next to him._  

 _She was a strange woman. She had too much passion, too much fight in her yet she was soft spoken. If Orm didn’t see her fight before, he would never believe she could become a warrior. There was something different in her eyes, he felt it every time their eyes met._  

 _Orm didn’t find her pretty at first but it was those eyes that piqued his interest. The way her eyes burned when she looked at him. At first, he was sure that was gratitude and respect. Maybe even admiration. He was a respected and admired warrior himself. But he wasn’t so sure anymore. A part of him wondered if her feelings ran deeper than what he assumed. And maybe another part of him hoped for it._  

 _It was stupid, really. What if she loved him? It meant nothing to him. He was a king, she was a commander. Her love could give him nothing. Marrying a princess was what was ideal for him. It would strengthen his hand against other kingdoms and the surface._  

 _Yet, here he was, looking at her with wonder in his eyes. He leaned forward slowly, delicate pale fingers reaching forward, overcoming the distance between them that felt like oceans. His fingers softly touched her cheek. She didn’t move. His fingers followed a line from her cheek to her chin, gently touching her lips._  

 _“_ _Ziva_ _.” He whispered in the darkness._  

 _He pulled his hand back._  

 _It was stupid, really. He was a king. He was one of the most powerful men on this planet. He could have everything he wanted. Yet, his heart was yearning for one thing that he couldn’t have? Orm scoffed at himself. He was acting like a snob. He was a king, he had his duties. He lived to serve his kingdom. He was not going chase a puppy love like a soft-hearted, ignorant school boy._  

_But as he waited for sun to rise, his hand that touched her cheek tingled with a desire for more._

 

**_ 2 Weeks Before Orm Marius’ Capture _ **

 

_ Reverend Mother Cetea never liked Corum Rath and it had nothing to do with him arresting her or taking over the throne by force. It was his hunger for power that scared and disgusted her. The moment he stepped a foot in Silent School, she knew this wouldn’t end well for any of them.  _

_ Corum Rath, as their new king, had every right to draw power from Silent School’s magic. The masters and students obeyed his wills like they would do to any other king. Yet, there was something wrong, something ill about Corum Rath. He asked for more and more. She tried to warn him but he didn’t listen, he pointed Atlan’s trident at her throat with threats that she didn’t bow down to.  _

_Corum_ _first mentioned hearing the voice after his second visit to the Silent School._  

 _A call._  

 _Urcell_ _, who wasn’t familiar with any kind of magic, passed this as a result of the stress. And then the voice warned him about oversharing._   _Corum_ _stopped mentioning it._  

 _“Don’t count on her,” the voice whispered, “what does she know about what you are going through?”_  

 _“She is my commander, she is my friend, she is—”_  

 _“Nothing.” The voice growled. “A king has no friend. She will backstab you like everyone else when the time comes.” The voice softened. “It is a truth that you must face. You can’t depend on her or anyone else.”_  

 _“But I—”_  

_ “You want to end up like before?” The voice hissed in his mind. “Under the boots of those aristocrats? You want to die like your father? Didn’t you learn your lesson? Didn’t Maun’s betrayal teach you? Your mother’s? The only way to survive is to trust only yourself!” Corum ran his shaky hands through his long brown hair. “You are the only one who can see what your people need, Rath.” The voice whispered sweetly.“What do they know about your struggles? What did Orm Marius do for your people? Half-breed king didn’t even know about your problems.” _

_ “You are right.” Corum breathed heavily.“Can they see this kingdom like I do? When they look around, they see richness, they see gold, they see sea silk, they see... they don’t see us.” His eyes closed tightly. “I was so stupid. I thought people would understand. Maun was right. I was living in a fantasy world. But I am awake now.” Corum wrapped his arms around his torso, laughing loudly. “I am at the top of the world! I am the king! I am the one who commands and they are all beneath me now!” _

_“Now you understand.” The voice encouraged him. “You are not blinded by your faith, your morals or your humanity anymore. You are the chosen one,_ _Rath_ _. To build a better world.”_  

 _“Yes!”_  

 _“And to build a better world, you have to destroy it first.”_  

 _“You are right.”_ _Corum_  l _ooked down at the golden trident in his hand. “This system is way too corrupt to fix. We need to rebuild.”_  

 _“It’s not too late, young one.”_  

_ “I am done with childish wishes.” Corum’s hands clenched into fists. “I tried to make myself believe people could change. That we all could find a place in this world. But they won’t. If we want to have a place in this world, we have to create it ourselves. I had to learn this on my own.” _

_“Hmm... But Orm Marius will come back. To take back the throne.” The voice warned him._  

 _“Let him come.”_ _Corum_ _smirked madly. “We begin building our new world by killing the former king.”_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] This place is actually closer to the 'borders' of Atlantis where only tribes live and they are mostly barbaric savages BUT I changed the location a bit so...
> 
> Thanks for reading, I am lanthimo on tumblr & twitter


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE END MY FRIENDS, BUCKLE UP!

There was no gold, no valuable gems, no sea silk in Ninth Tride. Instead, being a ‘good person’ was what was considered the real luxury. There was no good or bad in that part of Atlantis. Everyone was simply trying to survive another day and everything was fair in this struggle. Staying pure and ‘good’ was almost impossible. That’s exactly why Clentha Urcell didn’t see herself as a good person.  

She knew what was coming for her. Since the moment she let Murk pass, her deal was sealed. There was no going back now. And a part of her was okay with this. She had done terrible things during her short life time and deep down, from the moment she met Corum Rath, bonding over their hatred toward the injustice of their living conditions, she should have known this is how everything would end.  

Looking at Corum Rath’s followers swimming around the Palace in hurry as the former guards were uprising with the news of King Arthur and Prince Orm’s return, Urcell felt an unnatural peace falling onto her.  

This was the end. 

“Commander Urcell, sir?” She turned around to look at one of the younger followers of Corum. His name was Alta and he was barely older than 20. For a second Urcell wondered what he was doing here with them. There was a time when people like Alta represented everything they have fought for. There was a time when they had ideals.  

Then Corum went mad. And a part of Urcell always blamed herself for it. She felt it, she felt Corum’s hunger for power but she believed she actually knew his heart. She knew he was a good person who wanted the best for people like him. That’s why she stood beside him as he put that crown on his head. So, what if they killed the former king or planted fusion bombs around the seven seas? A little violence was necessary to win a war. She wasn’t an idiot, she wasn’t a child, she wasn’t blinded by morality. She knew oppressed people could only win their rights by fighting back. And that’s what they were doing. But now something was wrong with Corum. He was killing the people he was supposed to protect? That wasn’t like him. 

“Yes, Alta?” 

“Prince Orm escaped, sir. I think it’s better if we—” He choked on his next words as his eyes widened. Urcell didn’t realize what was wrong at first, she has been so stupid. She only noticed the burning mark on his chest when blood started mixing in the water, creating almost pretty shaped as Alta’s body fell between her and his assaulter.  

Urcell lifted her gaze to look at her. 

“Riman.” 

“Urcell.” Ziva’s blaster was lowered but her finger stayed on the trigger. “I am surprised to see you here, I must admit. Why are you not with Rath? I thought you two were inseparable.” 

“Funny.” Urcell muttered as she faced Ziva. “I heard the same about you and Marius. But here you are.” 

If it was a couple of months ago, seeing Ziva’s face harden with annoyance would bring joy to Urcell. But not anymore. Now it didn’t make her feel anything.  

“It’s over, Urcell. Rath’s reign will go down as the shortest in Atlantis history.” 

“Are you proud of yourself?” Even when she was criticizing the other woman, Urcell’s voice didn’t come out acrimonious. She was tired. “Someone like you, following those royals around like an obedient dog.” Ziva’s hand tightened around her blaster with anger but she didn’t say anything. “It’s disappointing, really. What a pity. You are a smart woman, you are a great warrior and a capable leader. You should be so much more than a guard dog. Yet you let your feelings cloud your judgement.” 

“You don’t know anything about me.” Ziva hissed between her teeth.  

“Don’t I? Are we really that different, Riman? The only difference between us is your luck. You were saved by that man. Your life was spared, you made a home in this palace. And now you feel gratitude toward him for a simple act of mercy that should have been granted to rest of us as well?” 

“You can’t put the blame of Orvax’s crimes on Orm, Urcell. You know he was doing his best for everyone, it wasn’t easy for him either—” 

“So, what?” For the first time since they faced each other on this balcony, Urcell showed a scrap of emotion; she frowned. “Now am I supposed to feel bad for a rich, privileged man? What he went through is nothing compared to what we go through on a daily basis!” Her hands clenched into fists by her sides. “We are standing on our own grave as they live in luxury. Who will answer for this fire in our chest as we watch our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters die from exhaustion?” 

Urcell barely noticed Ziva’s hand shaking on the trigger, eyes wide with a horror that was buried deep down in her own heart as well.  

They really weren’t that different. 

“I agree that Orm Marius improved Atlantis but for people like us, Atlantis is just a fairy tale. We are living ghosts in this kingdom. People who grow up to die. No one remembers us, no one thinks of us.” She blinked angrily as her tears mixed in water. “You think I am the bad guy? At least I am fighting for us, what are you fighting for? A man? A lie? You don’t belong here and you know that. You might disagree with my methods but you understand my motives, don’t you?” 

“Urcell, I can forgive everything you have done. As you said, I am the one who understands you the most. This anger, this betrayal... The feel of rejection.” Ziva pointed her blaster at Urcell’s chest, other woman didn’t even move as she looked into Ziva’s eyes with determination. Ziva respected Urcell for showing no fear in the face of death. “But I am not an idiot. I know your original plan is to kill the Prince. And this is one thing I can’t forgive.” Her hand tightened around the blaster. “I can’t let you.” 

“Be careful, Riman. It’s dangerous to feel so much for a man.” Coming from Urcell, this didn’t feel like an insult, it was more like an advice from one old friend to another. “Especially a man like him.” 

“I am in too deep to come back.” The last thing Urcell saw was Ziva’s face twisting in pain as she pulled the trigger. Ziva was a well-trained warrior, she knew exactly where to shoot to kill someone without making them suffer. Even if they stood at different sides of this war, Urcell had Ziva’s respect. “Rest well, my friend.” 

 

 

Arthur’s eyes went to the golden trident lying under Corum Rath’s feet while Orm and now demonized Rath were eyeing each other with squinted eyes. He had to find a way to get his hands on Atlan’s trident before Corum could make a real damage. He needed a weapon if he was going to face a monstrous enemy. It was nothing like stopping modern pirates and breaking swords with bare hands. Orm tried to warn him against Corum Rath and how dangerous he could be with the assistance of Abyssal Dark. 

“I tried to warn you, Rath.” Orm’s deep baritone voice filled the dark room, Arthur took a glance at his brother. Orm wasn’t one to waste time talking in a situation like this. Arthur knew Orm was probably thinking the same thing as Arthur did just seconds ago. He needed to get his trident back. Orm was giving him a chance by distracting Corum. 

 _“I don’t need your warnings!”_ Rath hissed. 

“This thing in you, it’s dangerous.” Arthur let his feet touch the ground slowly, not attracting Corum’s sudden attention. “It is lying to you.” 

 _“You all lie! At least it understands.”_  

“You must be an idiot to believe that.” Orm scorned. He didn’t look at Arthur’s side as his brother slowly approached Corum. “It understands nothing. It’s using your weaknesses to control you.” 

Corum opened his mouth to answer, showing his razor-sharp teeth, but an uncalculated move by Arthur turned his attention to the man who was approaching him, eyes on the golden trident beneath him. Corum’s lips twisted with an artificial smile. Before Orm could react and warn his brother, Corum raised his claw and attacked the older brother. 

Corum, empowered by Abyssal Dark, was a lot faster than any other Atlantean. Arthur, with his experience and training, managed to dodge the first attack however the second attack hit him in the chest, Corum’s claws barely scratched his skin but the impact sent him flying toward the dark side of the room, back hitting the wall and bringing it down with himself.  

Corum wasn’t done with the older brother, he was not thinking straight as he carelessly turned his back to Orm and jumped forward to finish Arthur off. But Orm was still smarter and a better tactician, especially since Corum’s mind was clouded by the demon’s manipulation. He used his legs to push himself up toward the ceiling and took two large steps forward, twisting in the water to land in front of the wreckage that his brother was lying under. As his body landed between his brother and Corum’s, he hit the lower tip of trident against the marble floor with a grunt. As soon as the sharp tip hit the floor with a thud, dark room was illuminated by lightning. Corum screamed as he shrank back, blocking his deformed face with his arms. 

Orm’s hands tightened around the shaft, gritting his teeth as he tried to hold onto the magic. He could feel the familiar burning feeling under his skin, like his veins were filled with liquid fire. With one last groan, he let it go. 

 

 

Now that their communicators were turned on, no more reason to hide, Ziva found Mina quite easily. Mina, alongside with Murk and rest of her squad, were in the corridor that lead to the throne room. If she had more time to react, Ziva would show how proud she was to see her friend, Mina, leading their team like a real leader.  

“Ziva!” Mina wrapped her arms around Ziva’s shoulders quickly before pulling back. No matter what situation they were in, she has been so worried about her friend for a really long time, it was so comforting to see her again that she had to hug her. “I am glad you are okay!” 

“Thank you, Mina.” Ziva forced a smile, of course, she was happy to see her friend as well. However, her mind was clouded with worry. Where was Orm? Did Mina manage to secure his safety? Did they manage to free him? If they were successful then where was Orm? “Did you receive my message?” 

“Yes.” Mina nodded, going back to her dutiful soldier mood. “We freed Prince Orm in the throne room, he was chained by Corum Rath but he wasn’t harmed.” 

“Then where is he now?” Ziva frowned impatiently. Mina bit her lower lip, breaking the eye contact with Ziva. She knew her best friend’s feeling toward the former king. And when Ziva contacted her to inform Mina of Orm’s arrival and possible arrest, she knew she had to do everything to save the man, not only because she was loyal to the real royal family but also, she didn’t know how could she answer to Ziva if they let Orm Marius’ pride get him killed by Rath.  

“He—” Before Ziva could explain the situation, Murk appeared behind her, placing his pale hand on her shoulder. Mina looked at Murk over her shoulder but blond man was facing Ziva. Learning his betrayal from Arthur, Ziva squinted her eyes at Murk. Did Mina know what this man has done to their king? He almost killed Arthur and got away with it! However, it seemed like Murk knew something and if he was on their side right now, Ziva could wait to punish him until Orm was safe again.  

 “We freed Prince Orm in the throne room but Corum escaped as we were fighting the Drift. Corum left Prince Orm’s trident behind. I tried to talk to him but he said something about Corum not escaping, took his trident and went after him.” Ziva’s eyes widened. 

“Followed him? To where?” Murk shrugged. 

“He didn’t let me follow him, I had to help Mina to stop all those Drift members before they could follow Prince Orm. He went through the back door of the throne room, that secret passage that very few know of.” Ziva’s face hardened with realization. Orm was right. Whatever his plan was, Corum was not escaping. He was going to the lower parts of the Royal Palace. When Orm became the king and his trust in Ziva gained strength, he showed her the passage in case of an emergency. She knew where it led to. There was no way to escape from that way. Corum had another plan and Orm, like the venturous idiot he was, went right after him.  

“I must go after them.” Mina lifted her hand that was holding her blaster. 

“I am coming with you.” But Ziva shook her head. 

“No. I can handle myself, Mina. It is me and Orm versus Corum Rath. We will be fine. On the other hand,” she turned her head toward the long corridor lying in front of them, “Corum’s followers. They are all trying to escape. We must capture them before they leave the grand doors. Princess Mera is holding the doors with her hydrokinesis but there are so many of them. She will need your help. We can’t risk them regrouping.” Mina’s face hardened. She didn’t want to leave Ziva alone. But she had no other choice. This was the logical decision. Corum Rath was a smart man but he was no warrior. Orm Marius could handle him singlehandedly, and with Ziva’s help, Mina had nothing to worry about. However his followers were still all around the city and if they couldn’t capture them before they reach the lower regions of the kingdom, they could lose them for good.  

Mina nodded, grasping Ziva’s shoulders for one last hug. 

“Good luck, my friend.” 

 

 

As Orm staggered due to amount of magic he summoned, his trident slipped between his fingers, his body leaned forward, finger digging into the marble floor to keep himself on his knees. Corum’s clawed hands were pressed against his eyes with pitiful whimpers. Orm knew this was his chance to attack. His lightning didn’t do much to hurt Corum’s now deformed thick skin but his trident could still pierce through it. He reached forward to grab Neron‘s trident again but as his fingers barely brushed the silver, Corum jumped forward with an angry scream, Orm leaned back to dodge the attack. He could hear Arthur groaning as he was regaining consciousness. Orm jumped to his feet, Corum’s claws barely brushing against his chest.  

Blond man made another jump toward his trident but Corum’s fist hit him right in the stomach, claws cutting the skin like butter. He stayed like this for a second, mouth open but no sound coming out, only thing keeping him up was Corum’s hand. Then claw pulled back and let Orm drop on his knees in front of him.  

Corum raised his clawed hand to attack one more time, slit Marius’ throat to end this but in the meantime, he didn’t notice the brown-haired woman slipping between broken doors and grabbing the Atlan’s trident without wasting any second. 

Ziva was a warrior, trained by the best. When she was in full fight mode, there was nothing that could cause her to freeze. Not even an injured Orm Marius sitting on his knees, surrounded by his own flowing blood.  

She made a jump that was similar to Orm’s, but as her feet touched the ceiling, she used her legs to push herself forward with more force and raised the trident over her head with a scream. Before Corum Rath could turn around, three sharp points of the trident were buried deep between his shoulder blades.  

A pitiful scream left Rath’s mouth. He reached back with clawed hands to grab Ziva and throw her around or slit her throat but Ziva pulled back Atlan’s trident with a spine-chilling battle cry as Orm watched her with wide eyes, brown hair spreading around her like Medusa’s. Orm knew this face, he’s seen her ‘battle face’ before. She was ruthless, full of fire and determination, contrary to her usual self. But he has never seen her look this angry. Her purple eyes were shining with newfound hatred for this creature before her, it sent chills down Orm’s spine. 

“Get your dirty claws off him!” She screamed as she twisted in the water and landed next to Orm, with Atlan’s trident still in her hands.  

Corum Rath didn’t pay any attention to them, as his whines and grunts filled the dark room, his clawed hands were reaching his back almost fearfully. Ziva showed no mercy as she buried the trident deep into his back. His claws were painted red with his own blood, mixing in water and creating a dark nebula around him.  

“Don’t move.” Ziva’s voice came out gentle, like a silky soft touch, in a great contrast to her battle cries and angry growls from a minute ago. She dropped Atlan’s trident carelessly, the heavy golden trident slowly descended to the marble floor beneath their feet. Ziva didn’t pay any attention to it as she wrapped her delicate hands around Orm bicep, pulling him up. Her right hand went to the wound, eyeing it with a worried gaze. 

Orm reached up with his left hand to cup her cheek, lifting her chin to meet her gaze.  

“I am fine.” He whispered softly. But Ziva could see his weakened state. His blood was mixing in water, his face was paler than usual. “The cut is not deep. We can’t let Corum get—” 

They were interrupted by a loud sound coming from behind, they turned their heads to see Arthur pushing stones and debris away to raise from where he’s been fallen. He ran his hands through his long hair, pulling small pieces of broken stones with a grimace. His eyes found Ziva and Orm at the same time. He raised an eyebrow at their intimate position.  

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead, kiss each other like I wasn’t just lying under—Oh, no.” Sarcasm left his voice as his eyes widened with fear when he noticed the blood around his brother’s body. Orm lifted a hand to stop Arthur before he could say or do anything.  

“It’s not a deep cut, really, I am fine.” Arthur frowned at him, it was hard to believe Orm when he said he was fine. This idiot could be dying and his pride would still make him say he’s fine. But before he could insist, something else caught his eyes. 

“You got it!” He swam toward them excitedly, reaching for Atlan’s trident that Ziva forgot on the floor beneath them. 

“Yeah.” Ziva raised an eyebrow. “It was just lying in the middle of the room, I just grabbed it. Why?” 

“Oh... Nothing.” Arthur cleared his throat as he avoided mentioning his failed attempt to take back the trident. Their attention was drawn to the other side of the dark room as Corum growled angrily. Arthur got on his feet, swimming forward to stand between Rath and his injured brother.  

“It is over, Corum. You can’t beat all three of us, even with the help of Abyssal Dark.”  

 _“NO!”_  Arthur raised his other hand to shield Orm and Ziva from another sudden attack. Orm’s hands grabbed his own trident as Ziva raised her blaster, pointing it at toward the darkness without actually seeing anything even with her enhanced vision.  _“This is not how it is supposed to end!”_  

“Well, you should have thought it through a bit more.” Arthur lifted his chin proudly, for the first time since they met, he looked like a real king to Orm. “You seriously thought corrupting one or two men from the Palace would secure your position and we would let you get away with it?” 

 _“This isn’t what I wanted.”_  He growled. _“I wanted to change things, I wanted to make it better. I thought I understood... I thought I could.”_  

“What do you think that happened when I became the king?” Arthur’s frown turned into a softer look. But his trident was still positioned in front of him in case Corum would use this opportunity to attack. “Once, Orm told me that it’s so easy to be the good guy by doing nothing. He told me you can’t be a king without getting your hands dirty. And I refused to believe him back then. It was easier to believe that my brother was a selfish asshole, that he was a power hungry, bloody thirsty tyrant. I truly believed that I could be so much better than him by simply being a good guy.” Arthur voice softened, Ziva and Orm were watching him from behind with wide eyes. “That’s what you believed, too, right? You thought I was being selfish, that I didn’t care. You thought you could be so much better because you understood. Because you were a good guy.” 

“But I do care, Corum. And I understand. Now you do, too. It’s not that simple, you see.” As Arthur stopped to take a shaky breath, Corum’s heavy breathing was the only sound in the room. “My brother wasn’t any different either. He wasn’t being a monster, he wasn’t being a villain or tyrant. He was being human.” Ziva’s eyes turned to Orm to see his reaction to Arthur’s declaration. She was expecting to see him bury his feelings deep down as he usually does and keep a stoic face however, she found Orm looking at Arthur with wide eyes. His expression was raw, filled with questions, sadness, surprise and something much warmer. Love. Did anyone else ever understand him like Arthur did, just now? Did anyone ever take their time to understand his actions like Arthur did? His brother wasn’t as blind as Orm thought. “He did what he did because he believed it was the right thing to do. Just like you and me, he looked at his father and believed that he could be so much better... because he cared.” 

 _“I didn’t mean to... I didn’t want to...”_  Corum whimpered confusedly. Arthur, feeling Corum’s conflict, extended a hand toward the darkness. 

“It’s not too late, Corum. You can still come back from this. It doesn’t have to end with a fight to death.” 

 _“I don’t want to fight. Not anymore.”_ Corum mumbled. He was ready to lean forward and take Arthur’s hand when his head was struck by a sudden pain that made him double over and let out a blood curdling scream.  _You_ _pathetic creature_ , the voice screamed in his head.  _You think you can just walk away?!_  

 _“I... I just...”_  Arthur frowned with confusion, Corum was no longer talking to him, he was mumbling some nonsense to himself. Arthur didn’t know what to do. Orm took Ziva’s hand that was holding his arm in his own hand and kissed it before freeing himself from her grasp. Ziva wanted to protest, as her hands reached forward to grab him again, but Orm swam toward his brother. He put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder to catch his attention without distracting him.  

“You have to kill him.” Orm whispered to Arthur’s ear. Arthur flinched under his hand but before he could protest Orm continued. “Stop, I know what you are thinking. I am not saying this because I want Corum to die. And I know you hate killing people. But it’s too late now, Arthur. You can’t save him. Corum accepted the demon’s offer, they are merged into one now. There is no going back. The demon won’t let him get away.” 

“There has to be another way.” Arthur hissed between his teeth. “I can’t just kill him.” 

“Then let me do it.” Orm whispered back softly. “If you don’t want to get your hands dirty... I can do it for you.” 

And it was crazy, how this was the gentlest, most sincere and thoughtful thing Orm has ever said to him. He was ready to do the ‘dirty job’ for Arthur because he knew Arthur didn’t want to. He didn’t enjoy seeing Arthur struggle with his duty and logic as they were watching Corum argue with himself. He looked like a pitiful creature. It was wrong to kill him. Corum Rath has made some mistakes but so what? So did Arthur and Orm. He didn’t deserve to die for them. Especially since he was ready to acknowledge his mistakes. Was he even wrong about them in the first place? Was he any different than Orm who killed a king to achieve his goals to make the seven seas a better place? Or Arthur who fought his own brother and kingdom, no matter how good his motives were, well knowing that their hatred toward the surface wasn’t undeserved? 

“No.” Arthur whispered with determination. “No more killing. We must give him another chance.” 

Orm groaned tiredly.  

“I understand you, Arthur, I truly do but I am telling you, there is no other way!” 

In the meantime, Corum was kneeling on the marble floor, head buried in his hands. _They were right about you, every single one of them. You are pathetic! You are nothing but a pitiful creature that deserves to die in that hole you came from! I should have never helped you. You are not worthy!_  

“That’s not true.” Corum groaned. “I am not... I am not unworthy. I deserve better. We all do.” 

 _Do you? As you said once,_ _Corum_ _, you live like an insect, you die like one._  

“It’s not... It’s not too late! Even he said so. I can still make things right.” 

 _You idiot! He is lying to you. He wants to make you surrender. The moment you step down, he will murder you. He will kill you!_  

Corum’s claws scratched the skin on his forehead, red blood oozing from the wound and mixing in the water. He didn’t feel the pain since the voice in his head was too loud, too demanding, too painful. 

 _Listen to me, boy. You have to kill him. Then you have to kill others. As we talked before, you have to destroy before you can rebuild._  

“NO!” Corum sobbed into his hands. “No, I don’t... I don’t want to. Not anymore. I don’t want to! I just want peace. Please, please, let me go. I am sorry, I deeply regret what I did, please!” 

 _BOW DOWN TO MY WILL, YOU LITTLE INSECT!_  

“No, no, no! I won’t, let me go!” Before any of them could react, Corum raised his claws and buried them into his chest with a painful howl.  

“NO!” Arthur pushed Orm’s hand away as he quickly swam toward Corum who pulled his claws out with a whimper and fell forward. Arthur caught him, Corum’s bloodied body lying in his arms as he sank onto his knees.  

“Let me be free. For once.” Corum sobbed, clawed hands grasping Arthur’s shoulder. His eyes were tightly closed but Arthur could see tears mixing in water. Corum kept sobbing. “I just want to be free. I always just wanted to be free.” 

“Shh,” Arthur muttered as he pulled Corum’s hands away from his shoulder and secured his arms, in case he would try to harm himself or Arthur again, “it’s okay, just stay still. Don’t move, okay?” 

“His wound is fatal.” Arthur looked up to see Ziva floating right behind him with wide eyes, looking directly at Corum’s bloodied chest. “He needs help, as soon as possible.” She turned her head toward Orm. “I will go find a healer, you should cover the wound and apply pressure!”  

Arthur couldn’t say anything, he just nodded even though Ziva was already gone and she couldn’t see him. Arthur quietly took off Corum’s cloak and pressed it against the wound. Only a broken whine escaped between brown-haired man’s mouth. Arthur could feel his vision blur with tears. This wasn’t the first time he was watching someone die, hell, he left someone’s father to their death before. But this, this was different. Corum was misguided. He was angry and truth to be told, he had every right to be. He was confused and he wanted to change things. Things that no other king managed to or try to change before. And in his last moments, he was crying and begging.  

This wasn’t fair.  

None of these was fair. 

Corum reached up again, grasping Arthur’s shoulder with a shaky, bloodied hand.  

“Don’t... Don’t forget us.” Corum choked on his own blood with a wet cough. Blood was oozing between his lips, painting the water around them soft pink. “Don’t let this come to this ever again.” 

“I won’t.” Arthur’s hand tightened around Corum’s shoulder. “I promise. You just hold on, Corum.” 

But the other man didn’t hear him, his eyes were on the ceiling, shining with unshed tears as a broken smile appeared on his bloodied lips. 

“Finally...” He muttered, “I am free.” 

Orm looked at Arthur who was still putting pressure on Corum’s chest despite knowing that the man was already death as his last words left his mouth. He swam closer to his brother quietly, putting his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.  

“Stop, Arthur.” He said, voice free of any kind of emotion. It was a habit that wouldn’t die easily. Orm has been isolating himself for far too long to open his heart to anyone, especially his brother despite the sudden change in their relationship recently. “He is dead.” 

“God damn it.” Arthur hissed angrily, head bowed down as his long hair covered his face. Orm didn’t see his face but he couldn’t imagine Arthur crying over someone like Corum Rath. At best, Orm pitied the dead man. Orm was a warrior at heart, he’s always been since he was 8 and his father started his training. The lack of heroics and courage in Corum’s last moments were the real reason he pitied the man. It wasn’t a wish he would wish upon anyone.  

Orm let go of Arthur’s shoulder, there was nothing he could do for him now. If he was going to mourn Corum Rath, there was no point in consoling him. He leaned down to take Neron’s trident, other hand touching the wound on his stomach. It wasn’t fatal, he wasn’t lying when he said he was fine. He looked at Arthur one last time before swimming toward the broken door. 

 Arthur looked up finally, turning his head to his left to look at his brother over his shoulder.  

“Orm?” Younger brother stopped but he didn’t turn around to look at the other man. Arthur looked at his back. “Where are you going?” 

Orm’s back was turned to Arthur but he could see Orm’s hand tightening around Neron’s silver trident. 

“What are you going to do now, Arthur?” He asked instead of answering. “Are you going to imprison me again?” 

Arthur gently let go of Corum’s body as he stood up to face his brother’s back. 

“Things changed Orm. We changed.” He said, the determination in his voice leaving no place for any doubt. “2 months ago, I would call you a tyrant, a murderer. And you would call me blind. I wouldn’t believe you could care about me. Or Mera. Or anyone. And you wouldn’t believe I could be a king.” His hand reached forward despite he couldn’t overcome the distance between them. “But now I know. Now I understand you better and I know that you also understand me. You proved yourself. Not only today but even before that. Corum gave you a chance to take the throne, to rule again. He gave you a chance to destroy the surface. But you didn’t take his offer. Instead, you saved Mera, you went to our mother. Because you care. You thought I was dead yet you still came back to save Atlantis. Not to take the throne but to put an end to this madness.” Arthur smiled softly. “I know we still have a long way to go but... I love you, little brother. And I believe, in some way, you love me, too.” 

Arthur watched Orm’s back muscles stiffen, he waited for his brother to say something but he didn’t. Arthur sighed softly but he was not going to give up now. Not when they were this close. 

“Come with me, Orm. You don’t have to escape or hide. I won’t try to imprison you again, I promise. As I said, things changed. I believe you paid for your crimes as you stood beside me today.” He imagined for a second, how proud their mother would be if she could see them now. “You are a great warrior, a smart man with great knowledge and you are an amazing tactician. Stand with me again, not only today but every day. Come with me and become my advisor, my right-hand.” His voice softened as he looked at his brother’s back with pleading eyes. “Be my brother.” 

Arthur waited impatiently for Orm to answer. He was sure Orm would accept his offer. Younger man dedicated his entire life to Atlantis, after all. This was his home more than it has ever been to Arthur. This kingdom was his entire life. Arthur couldn’t imagine Orm wanting to run away from Atlantis unless he was forced to do so. By promising his freedom and his place in Royal Palace, Arthur could convince Orm to stay as— 

“No.” Orm’s answer came out strong, leaving no place for argument. Arthur opened his mouth to protest, ask him if he was mad but despite not being able to see his face, Orm knew Arthur, he raised his hand to silence him. “Before you say anything, I am not doing this because I hate you or... because I don’t want to be here. With you. I am not being petty.” He finally turned around to face Arthur and the moment their eyes met, Arthur knew he was telling the truth. He looked tired but sincere.  

“Then why?” He asked baffledly. 

“Because...” Orm took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Patient has never been Arthur’s forte but he forced himself to stay silent as he waited for his brother’s explanation. Orm finally opened his blue eyes again and looked at him. “I need time. Away from here. Everything... it’s just...” He sighed. “I need time, Arthur. You must understand. I can’t stay here, not right now.” He frowned slightly. “I am not... ready.” 

“But...” Arthur looked at him with wide eyes. “Where are you going? What are you going to do?!” 

“This is for me to know.”  

“What about mother?!” Arthur tried again, he knew using their mother like this would be considered a ‘dirty’ tactic but he was almost desperate. Was Orm mad? 

“She will understand.” He answered softly. “Tell her I am fine.” 

“What about... Ziva?” Because Arthur knew something was going between them. Especially after seeing them together in this room. Orm could never deny that. And he didn’t.  

Orm’s only answer to this question was a smile. 

Arthur groaned frustratedly.  

“I won’t stop you, Orm. But I believe you should stay here with us. With me, with Mera and Ziva and even our mother.” Orm didn’t say anything for a moment, he looked down at the floor thoughtfully. Arthur has never seen his little brother so conflicted before. Orm was always so sure of himself. He was calm, cold, controlled. But now he looked like anyone else. That man, dressed up in full golden suit, in the throne room that looked like a Greek god, out of this world and so sure of himself, was merely a human after all. Just like anyone else. 

“If I come back... later, would you still... accept me?” Orm lifted his head to look at Arthur, still guarding his emotions but Arthur could see this was the most Orm allowed himself to be vulnerable. 

Arthur’s face hardened with determination, leaving no room for doubts. 

“Always.” 

Arthur’s answer brought a small smile to Orm’s face, he didn’t thank him but he nodded at the older man with gratitude. 

As Arthur watched his brother leave quietly, he wondered when would they see each other again.  

 

 

Mera was waiting for him in the throne when Arthur entered through the secret passage that Vulko showed him. He didn’t say anything as they met in the middle, standing in front of each other. Mera’s eyes were wide and shiny as she looked up at him. King’s crown that he took from Corum’s dead body was tightly grasped between Arthur’s fingers. The healer Ziva sent to Silent School told Arthur he would take care of Corum’s body. Yet, Arthur couldn’t find it in himself to put the crown back on his head.  

He didn’t do anything to Corum. They barely fought each other. He didn’t kill Corum. Then why was he feeling like he killed a man to take the crown? 

Feeling the conflict in him, Mera reached forward and took the crown from his hands, Arthur watched him closely and she reached up and placed the crown on top of his head. Mera wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

“All hail to the king.” She whispered before kissing him. As they pulled apart shortly after, Arthur saw Ziva over Mera’s shoulder. He placed a kiss on Mera’s forehead before moving toward Ziva.  

“He is gone.” He said simply because she deserved to know. “I don’t know if he will come back or when will he, I am sorry.”  

Ziva shook her head. 

“Don’t be, my King.” She smiled softly. “I guessed so. I know your brother.” 

“I wish I could say the same.” Arthur mumbled. “I was expecting him to stay.” 

“He deserves to be happy.” She said. “And if his happiness is away from here, then so be it.” 

Arthur smiled down at the brown-haired girl. 

“Yes, you are right.” 

Arthur hoped wherever Orm was going, he was happy.  

In the meantime, Arthur was going to take his brother’s advice. 

 

 

When Arthur met his mother and father at the deck, Atlanna’s heart skipped a beat. Arthur coming alone could mean many things, things that she wasn’t ready to think about. But Arthur quickly wrapped his muscular arms around her body, pulling her into a tight hug with a huge grin on his face. Atlanna let out a relieved chuckle and buried her face in Arthur’s chest. 

Her sons were okay. Her kingdom was safe. 

Everything was going to be alright.  

 

 

**CAGLIARI, SARDEGNA - A MONTH AFTER CORUM RATH’S DEATH**

Blond man’s eyes were focused on the small television that looked like it was at least 20 years old. The bar was quiet, air conditioner was broken and the small place was almost insufferably hot. But blond man didn’t care as he turned to the old man who owned the place. 

“Scusi, signore, può alzare il volume?” Old man simply nodded and turned the volume up and went back to drying glasses. 

“...After 2 weeks of discussion, finally, today, Aquaman who is recognized as the king of once a mythical kingdom Atlantis, will be meeting United Nations to discuss...” Orm’s eyes widened when he noticed what Lois Lane was talking about. He quickly put 2 euros on the counter and waved at the old man as he walked to the door. 

“Buona giornata.” 

He ran a hand through his hair, thinking about what he just heard. Arthur actually did it. He exposed Atlantis. He was crowned as the king of Atlantis once again, he exposed Atlantis, was recognized as a foreign king and he would be meeting surface’s United Nations to discuss their problems. Orm wasn’t an optimist but he was surprised to see that Arthur remembered his advice. He didn’t only remember but actually followed it.  

He was just passing Chiesa di Sant'Anna when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. He turned around to see who was standing so close to him, it was an old reflex, really. Once a warrior, always a warrior after all.  

But as soon as his eyes landed on the familiar figure, he froze.  

“I spent the entire morning looking everywhere for you.” She said with a small smile on her face. It was almost funny to see Orm looking like a fish out of water. His mouth opened and closed with surprise. She simply waited without saying anything, her smile never wavering. Finally, Orm closed his eyes with a chuckle and pressed his fingers to his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he was smiling, too. 

“It took you long enough.” He said. She shrugged playfully, hands clasped behind her back as she took a step forward toward him.  

“I wanted to give you some space.” Orm’s face softened when he noticed her sincerity. She has always been so thoughtful, so caring and loving toward him. He wasn’t sure he actually deserved her. He doubted he deserved her love. But he would be lying if he didn’t enjoy the idea of her loving him.  

“I am glad to see you, Ziva.” He said softly. Her playful expression broke into a softer one. She walked forward until they were face to face.  

“I am glad to see you, too, Orm.” He looked down at her with fondness.  

“So, you came to see me? Or did my brother send you?” 

“Your brother knows I am coming to you however I didn’t tell him where you are, if this is what you are asking.” She bit her lower lip shyly which was surprising. Ziva was many things but shy wasn’t usually one of them. “I was actually thinking of staying...” 

“Staying?” Orm’s eyes widened as he realized what she was hinting. He couldn’t let himself hope. Instead, he came up with fragile excuses. “But your position? You can lose your title, your squad if you stay here with me.” 

He wanted to say more but Ziva lifted her hand and pressed her fingers against his mouth softly. 

“You told me to remember where to find you. I did.” She looked into his eyes. “I am ready to risk it all, my title and my position, to be with you, to share this life, here, with you.” She lowered her hand to give Orm a chance to answer. “Do you want to?” 

Orm didn’t answer right away, he was eyeing her in a way that wasn’t like him. His usually cold blue eyes had a new warmness, he was not shielding, he wasn’t hiding his feelings. He reached up and cupped Ziva’s face between his hands. She placed her hands on his chest as her lashes flutter closed. She tilted her head up, raising on her feet to tip toes and bringing their faces closer. 

“More than anything.” Orm whispered against her lips before closing the distance and kissing her under the summer sun of Sardegna.  

Maybe, she was right after all. 

Maybe he deserved to be happy, too. 

And maybe they could share this happiness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the ending didn't disappoint any of you guys.  
> First of all, I must thank Gabs and Poon for making me write this story. There is no way I could start, let alone finish, this story without their constant support and motivation. And I must thank all of you, whoever is reading this fic and everyone who left a comment or kudos.  
> Thanks for reading! It means a lot to me. Love you all!


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